Zweihänder Part 1 or, The World Calls That Love
by filtered
Summary: Siegfried Cyprus is a Demon Weapon who's had the worst life; homeschooled for over three years, hospitalized after his first day of school for coughing blood every hour. But a certain green-eyed bookish girl wants to change his life forever. "What connects the voices of our hearts, is the things we fear so much." OC x Maka
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

**Welcome to the Fanfic _Zweihander__ or, the Car Crash Hearts_ by filtered. This fanfic is primarily an OCxCharacter, in this case SiegfriedxMaka if you haven't figured it out already. Each chapter will have a recommended listening music section. The songs that are listed will give you a much better experience and get you in the mood of the story. All lyrics to songs and the songs themselves belong to the original artists. Have a nice read!**

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**Theme** **Song: **Fall Out Boy - Thriller

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_So long live the Car Crash Hearts  
Cry on the couch all the poets come to life  
Fix me in 45..._

**PROLOGUE**

Hospital Bed

"Lonely? Not really. I'm pretty used to it."

That's what Siegfried would tell you if you asked him what countless students and teachers have asked him before. "Are you lonely, lying here all by yourself?" They would ask, either others in the infirmary or teachers talking to Professor Stein  
_(Doc, I've always called him Doc, he never seemed to care)  
_about lesson plans, student files, whatever. Lonely wasn't really the right word to describe Siegfried's life in a hospital._  
(Annoyed? Confused? Bored? Yeah. Bored is the perfect word)  
_Ok, maybe confused was a good word too. After all, no one in the freaking Academy knew what exactly kept Siegfried from leaving the comfort of his bed, let alone the room.

Well, that wasn't true either; he got two breaks every other day- each fifteen minutes long while other students were in class (didn't want to get anyone sick with the Mystery Disease)- to walk around the Academy. He usually spent his fifteen minutes in the library; reading was something he loved to do since he was homeschooled  
_(It's not like I had anything else to do besides training)  
_besides sleeping. He would walk in and immediately start searching the shelves for two or three promising novels (horror stories were his favorite) and crack one open on a comfortable looking chair. The sound of an old book cracking open has always been one of his least favorite noises, despite the fact that he loved to read. It wasn't his fault and it wasn't the book's fault; it was whatever was inside of him, whatever made him cough blood five times every hour. Remembering the fact that he was completely alone made opening a book in the empty library sound eerie, almost unpleasant. Sometimes he felt like crying. Hell, sometimes he _did _cry a little. Maybe a tear or two would slip down his cheek and he had to wipe it with the back of his hand. Then he would push the thought of being completely alone to the farthest corner of his mind  
(here be monsters)  
and start to read. That took care of the problem. Once his fifteen minutes were up (Doc provided him with a watch just incase), he would check the books out and walk back to the infirmary (providing he didn't get lost again). The infirmary door would close as soon as class ended (lunch began when the first break ended, school was let out for the second) and students poured into the halls. If Siegfried waited just a few seconds after his break would finish, he would have to get past the ocean of students, which would mean he had to run the risk of passing the Mystery Disease on to someone. At least, that's what his father had told him constantly. Ironically, that was not the case. If he were to wait just five seconds before entering the infirmary, he would have caught an early sight of the girl whom he would fall in love with just weeks after his first year at the Academy, the girl at the top of her class who Siegfried assumed he had no chance in hell with. _Hell sounds better than being stuck in this bed all day_.

**CHAPTER 1**

Siegfried Z. Cyprus

**1**

_Homeschooled_

Siegfried didn't really know his ancestors too much; he lived in a small town in Germany where life was simple. Simple for everyone except for the Cyprus; the Cyprus were apparently a long line of warriors, masters of the art of the Zweihänder, or the two-handed sword. They dated back to the 1500's, and every member had to be a master of the Zweihänder. As fate would have it, Siegfried's grandmother happened to be a Demon Weapon. His grandfather was apparently fine with having a wife who could turn into a great sword rather than being able to wield one. The rest was easy enough to understand; Siegfried's grandparents had Frederick Cyprus, who was born a Demon Weapon and it was passed to Siegfried.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop Siegfried from being forced to learn the ways of the Zweihänder. His power awakened at the age of ten and his father wasted no time in homeschooling him. That was the second rule of the Cyprus, established by Siegfried's grandfather: No Cyprus was allowed near the Death Weapon Meister Academy. The Cyprus family believed that homeschooling was the only correct way of learning. Siegfried despised his father's attitude towards Lord Death when he was invited to the DWMA.

"Absolutely not," Frederick would say to Lord Death. "My son is to be homeschooled, and that is final!"  
"Frederick, I assure you that I have only the best intentions for your child. Your mother was a student of mine, if I remember correctly…"  
"My father established the rule years ago, and I have no intention of breaking it! Do I make myself clear!?"

Siegfried was worried that Lord Death (who looked like a gentle giant in Siegfried's eyes) would lose his temper and lash out at his father. But instead, he did something that Siegfried would respect for as long as he could remember. He turned away from Frederick and looked down at Siegfried (who was only twelve at the time of the argument).

"Little Siegfried, what we are discussing is your future as a Demon Weapon. So far you haven't voiced your opinion in this argument. So, I will ask you this. Do you want to learn at my Academy? Or would you like to be homeschooled?"  
"Lord Death, this isn't the correct way-" Frederick began.  
"This is his choice. He's twelve years old and needs to start making his own decisions."

Siegfried stood frozen, the man he looked up to standing over him. For the first time in his life, he was able to make his own decision. He didn't speak for what felt like hours until it happened.

He found his voice.

"I want to learn with you, Lord Death!" He shouted.


	2. Chapter 2: Parole

**Recommended Listening Music: **Blue Stahli - Perfect Heist

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**CHAPTER 2**

Parole

**1**

"Well, _this_ is quite strange."  
"What's up, Doc?"  
"I'm... not sure."

Professor Stein was going over the results of Siegfried's weekly checkups. Every checkup ended with Stein telling him the same news: "I still cant figure out what's wrong with you other than the fact that you're coughing blood pretty frequently and your heart is beating at an abnormally slow pace. I don't know if you are contagious but it's still a risk that I do not wish to take. You're going to have to stay in bed and-" blah blah blah. Same old same old. But this time, things were much different.

"It looks like your heart is beating at it's normal pace again," Stein continued, "and your soul is... almost perfectly stable. Have you been coughing blood frequently?"

Siegfried, who was lying in bed, placed an arm over his eyes (he thought best in that position) and tried to remember the last time he coughed blood. It came to him pretty quickly; it was hard to forget coughing into your hand, feeling that iron taste in your throat and seeing blood on your palm.

"...Not as often. I think maybe... once every... four hours?"  
"Hm. Well, in that case, I suppose... you'd be able to leave the infirmary  
_(cell)_  
more often. You'll be able to leave for most of the day, but you need to spend nights here."  
"Seriously!? Thanks, Doc! Does that mean I can start attending classes? More training with Jaxx?" Siegfried could hardly contain his excitement.  
"Calm down, would you? I only said you could leave the infirmary during the day. Attending classes is a whole different story. I'll tell Lord Death you're on your way to discuss it with him, that is, if you're willing to start taking classes."

Siegfried may have not been familiar with attending classes with other students thanks to his father's homeschooling, but he certainly knew that he could handle sitting at a desk surrounded by other students and listening to lectures. He was most excited about heading to the library; just knowing that he could turn his head while reading and say hello the person next to him. No longer would he have to be saddened by the sound of cracking open an old book.

"Yeah, I'll be looking forward to it," Siegfried replied.

**2**

As Siegfried walked down the long path to the Death Room (quite merrily, actually; this was the first time he walked down in weeks), memories flashed in his head. He remembered being sick in bed, only he wasn't 16 years old. No, this was five years ago, in his own room, his own house. He recalled how particularly angry his father had been at his son for falling ill after only one year of homeschooling. Back then, the sickness was at its worst; he coughed up blood and vomited so many times per hour that he lost count, his heart was beating very slowly and he had trouble breathing. After a month or two, the sickness began to fade and it was back to homeschooling and sword play for another four years. Despite all of his training, however, the sickness still kept its mark on him; thanks to all of the vomiting, Siegfried remained very slim. Frederick Cyprus reminded him of this constantly as he told stories of his ancestors (who were all very muscular during their teenage years).

Of course, appearance was not much of an importance to Siegfried. Even after he saw _her_ for the first time walking down the hall,  
_(ponytails)_  
Siegfried thought the whole thing was trivial. Even in his hardheaded father's eyes, everything was fine as long as he knew how to use a Zweihänder. Despite the fact that his ancestors had been muscular, his father had told him, they never got into fights involving their fists. That was "the idiots game". _I doubt my ancestors ever had to deal with a disease like_ that _before_, Siegfried wanted to say to his father. But talking back to Frederick Cyprus was like going up a creek without a paddle.

Siegfried loved his father all the same. Past the homeschooling and shitty family rules, Siegfried would never have been able to find a suitable meister (yes, Jaxx was considered suitable) if it weren't for him. _I'm going to prove to the old man that Lord Death was the best thing to happen to our family for generations_.

**3**

"Hey there, Siegfried! You look quite well today!"  
"Thanks Lord Death. I assume you got Doc's message?"  
"You got it!"

A long pause.

"So," Siegfried said, "Does this mean that I can start taking classes? I feel fine, the coughing fits are pretty rare, and I would _love_ to start learning about the wise, powerful, _awesome_ leader who created the Academy that I am learning in today."  
"I'll give you 10 points for sucking up. But I can't exactly put you in a class _just _yet."  
"Oh come _on_! Pleeeease Lord Death, this is my chance to interact with other students!"  
"Let me finish. I said I can't put you in a class yet because the students are too far into their lessons. Throwing you into your first class while everyone's ahead will cause panic. Things will be _totally _out of whack. Let's see...

Another long pause, this time with Lord Death holding his chin.

"Ah! I have an idea. I could set you up with a tutor of sorts, someone who could tour the Academy with you and sort of get you up to speed. How would that be?"  
"That sounds fine. Who's my tutor? Jaxx?"  
"Well, although it would be a good idea to have your Meister be your tutor, I need someone who has full knowledge of myself and the Academy. He's a much better choice."  
"...And he or she is...?"  
"My son, Death the Kid."

_What the hell was I thinking?_


	3. Chapter 3: Bliss Out

**Recommended Listening Music: **Hadouken - Bliss Out

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**CHAPTER** **3**

Bliss Out

_I'm on my way up, _  
_ So high off now _  
_ I'm floating in the clouds _  
_ 'Cause you make me bliss out_

**1**

The tour of the Academy only lasted for about ten minutes; Siegfried was quite familiar with most areas of the school as he visited them during his breaks. Since the Academy Tour was so short, Lord Death had another idea.

"Well then, your next assignment is to follow Kid around the Academy and complete some tasks for the school."  
"Wait what? I thought I could start attending classes or something."  
"Remember; I said you couldn't start taking classes because everyone is so far ahead of you. By doing these small tasks, you can have a better understanding of how things work around here."  
"In other words, you someone to do more work around here."  
"Well, yes, that's the main idea."

Siegfried didn't mind doing some extra work around the school. He enjoyed helping out his family back home with work (which usually included chopping firewood or feeding the cat), but he was never constantly nagged about how the stack of firewood was "not perfectly symmetrical," meaning you had to start everything over. He may have been sick in bed for a month, but even Siegfried knew about Lord Death's son's Obsessive Compulsion Disorder. Siegfried spent the day following Kid down hallways and into storage closets (there was no traffic at all; classes were in session) where Kid told Sigfried to organize everything. This job was easy enough and the task was quickly completed, but it never seemed to match Kid's standards.

"This is all wrong! This box is 2.4 centimeters too far to the left! _Start all over!_"  
"Disgraceful! The light bulb is only glowing on one side! Fix it, Sigfried!"  
"_ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE A MOCKERY OF MY FATHERʻS ACADEMY? NO? THEN FIX IT!_"

If Sigfried were to argue with Kid about his irritating standards, the latter would tend to go into a traumatic depression, which usually consisted of him lying on the floor and muttering things too soft for Siegfried to hear, and he would have to apologize and start all over. _A hospital bed never looked so cozy..._

**2**

"Letʻs see. Lunch is about to start and youʻve finished two storage closets," Kid said. "You started this morning, a few hours ago. Iʻve never seen someone do so well."  
"Uh, thanks, I guess."  
"Just finish stacking these boxes here and youʻll be done for now."  
"Fair enough, I suppose."

With his back turned to Kid, Siegfried continued to stack boxes. As he did, he heard Kid speaking to someone with a soft voice, like silk.  
_(Ugh, that's cheesy)_  
With a small tower of boxes in his arms, Siegfried's curiosity got the best of him. He turned around.

Kid was blocking the doorway, so he was only able to see some of her. But what he saw was enough. Enough to make his throat (which usually expelled blood into his hand during coughing fits) dry and his heart (which used to beat abnormally slow) start beating fast. Siegfried learned from his father that "love at first sight" was a myth made up by idiots who would marry any female regardless of their strength in battle (Siegfried would realize later that his father's idiotic theory was actually pretty accurate to the situation that he was in)

The girl was petite (making it _very _difficult to see her with Kid blocking the doorway) and could only see a single pigtail and her plaid skirt. That was all. _So why the hell am I feeling this way?_

Siegfried, who thought eavesdropping was very disrespectful, listened in on the conversation.

"By the way, I didn't see you in class today. What happened?" The girl's voice.  
"You know that student who's always in the infirmary?" Kid's voice.  
_(Crap, she knows?)_  
"Yeah, what about him?"  
"My father wanted me to have him do some tasks. He's organizing the closet now." Kid turned his head and Siegfried finally got his first view of the girl as she poked her head inside of the closet.  
_(Don't drop the boxes please God DON'T DROP THE FUCKING BOXES!)  
_"Hey there," she said with a smile.

For the first time in a long time, Siegfried was at a loss for words. He simply stood there, boxes full of God's knows what in his arms, his forehead beading with sweat, his heart and mind transfixed in her big green eyes. He didn't say a word. All he did was smile back. Kid turned his body toward him and Siegfried's face went hot as he got a full view of the girl's body.  
_(Oh god)_

"Siegfried, would you like to join us for lunch when you're finished?"  
_(Say yes don't chicken out just say... oh wait...)  
_Siegfried frowned.  
"Crap, I would, but Professor Stein wants me to eat back at the infirmary during lunch, since... well, you know..."  
"Oh, that's a shame. Maka was really interested in getting to know you. Maybe some other time, then?"  
_(She wanted to know about _me_?)  
_"Yeah, that sounds  
_(Maka...)  
_"like a good idea."

The girl  
_(Maka)_  
and Kid said their goodbyes. Kid said he would join Maka for lunch after Siegfried was finished stacking. As he placed the last tower of boxes on their appropriate shelves (hopefully perfectly symmetrical), Siegfried asked Kid who this "Maka" was.

"You don't know? She's Maka Albarn, daughter of Death Scythe."  
"That good-for-nothing teacher? I feel bad for her."  
"So does she, apparently."  
"She's... ahem... very... um..."  
"What's wrong? Spit it out."  
"She's very..." Sigfried squeaked the last word out with a very small voice. "...pretty..."  
"Hm. Well, can't say that I would think the same, I'm not attracted to her in that way."  
"In that case... do you think I would have some sort of chance with her?"  
"You haven't even spoken to her yet, so I can't answer that question. She's at the top of her class and-"  
"She is? Great. There go my chances."  
"Oh, don't worry, she hangs out with boys with some of the _worst_ grades in the Academy. You'll be fine."  
"Thank goodness. But what's really bothering me is how I'm supposed to go about approaching her."  
"Hm... I think I can help you out with that."  
"Really? How?"  
"I'll tell you after lunch. For now, you can START ALL OVER BECAUSE THESE BOXES AREN'T _PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL!_"

And now Siegfried was in the infirmary, lying on his bed after a lunch he could only poke at. _Oh yeah. I'm sick alright. Sick with love._


	4. Chapter 4: Straight-A Student

**Recommended Listening Music: **Blue Stahli- So So Bad

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**CHAPTER 4**

In Love With a Straight-A Student

**1**

Jaxx rarely visited Siegfried in the infirmary, despite the fact that he was Siegfried's meister. But after he found out that Siegfried was out of the infirmary more often, he decided to start paying him visits. Jaxx was sitting on a chair next to Siegfried's bed and eating the lunch he barely started.

"_Maka_ _Albarn_? Seriously? Huh, good luck with that," Jaxx said, digging his spoon into food.  
"You know her too?"  
"Of course I do, I'm in the Crescent Moon EAT class with her. She's the smartest student there."  
"Yeah. Don't remind me."  
"Did you even talk to her yet?"  
"Well... no."  
Jaxx was about devour a spoonful of mashed potatoes when he hesitated. "Sounds like you need my help."  
"Really. _You're _going to help me? How?"  
Jaxx was chewing mashed potatoes, his palm held out. He swallowed. "Challenge her to a fight. She's one of the strongest meisters in the Academy. You beat her, she'll be all over you."  
"You realize that _you're_ going to have to fight her too, right?"  
Jaxx was hit with realization and he almost choked on another spoonful of mashed potatoes. He swallowed. As he coughed, they could hear Professor Stein laughing from the other room and a "thud" as his chair fell over.

**2**

Sigfried knew Jaxx for almost a month. He first met him a week before he started coughing blood again and had to be hospitalized. The two got along quickly, despite the fact that Sigfried could barely contain his excitement about being able to learn without being yelled at by his father while Jaxx loathed any sort of learning despite the fact that he had some of the best grades in his class. Their souls resonated rather quickly and the two formed a very lethal team. Once Siegfried started getting sick again, the training stopped abruptly. Now that Siegfried was able to leave the infirmary during most of the day, it was a perfect opportunity to start training again.

"Let's hold off on the training for now, Jaxx," Siegfried said to his partner while he was taking a sip of water after his coughing fit.  
"'Hold off?' Why, 'cause of your new girlfriend?"  
"Give me a break man, I haven't even _spoken_ to her yet."  
"All I'm saying is, you better win this chick over soon. I don't want to sweep up pieces of your heart if it gets broken."  
"Well, Kid said he had some sort of plan to help me approach her," Siegfried said, pulling a book out of his backpack.  
"That should help your chances right there." Jaxx pointed at the book that Siegfried was reading. "She _loves_ to read."  
"Seriously?"  
"Mhm."  
"You knew that I love to read, yet you didn't tell me about this earlier?"  
"Sometimes I like to be mysterious."

Sigfried responded by smashing his partner's head with the book he was reading. He was surprised to see that Jaxx was laughing while rubbing his head.

"Oh, you two are _made_ for each other."  
"What?"  
"Never mind, man."

**3**

Kid was leading Sigfried down to the empty lunchroom to help organize dishes when Siegfried asked him what the plan was to help him approach Maka.

"I talked her into having a little party tonight."  
"What?"  
"You know, just a small party for you to get to know everyone with the secondary purpose of getting to talk to Maka."  
"Wow. Thanks, Kid."  
"Don't worry about it. Just make sure not to crap yourself if things get difficult. The party is casual, by the way."  
"Thank goodness."

Siegfried looked genuinely happy on the outside, but on the inside, he was nervous as hell. The odds were completely stacked against him; he had never been to an actual party before. While his parents had been away on family trips, Sigfried was told to stay home and train.  
_(thatʻs right friends and neighbors, Siggy's stuck at home training while_ _his parents are partying it out)  
_Not to mention that _she_ was going to be there. If the party wasn't casual, Sigfried would have politely declined; he didn't want people judging him based on what he was wearing along with the way he acted.

Sigfried, who figured that he had zero confidence, walked down the hall after he finished cleaning up the lunchroom  
_(THESE PLATES AREN'T SYMMETRICAL! DO YOU_ REALLY_ EXPECT PEOPLE TO EAT OFF THEM?)  
_with his head lowered._  
__(I'll just look for Kid and tell him that I won't be showing up. End of story)  
(Dude, come on, that's chickening out. Just go talk to her)  
(No man it's not that simple I'm going to embarrass myself and-)_

"Sigfried! Hi!"  
He turned around and there she was, that adorable smile on her face.  
"H-hi, what's up?"  
"How are you?"  
"I'm fine, I was just on my way back to the infirmary. You?"  
"Same, only I'm on my way to class. Walk with me?"  
_(How could I say no to Maka?)_  
"Sure, that sounds okay."

**4**

The walk may have only lasted for a minute or two, but it felt like the longest minutes in Sigfried's life. He assumed that it was normal to feel odd when walking alone with a girl and even worse to walk with a crush.  
_(a cute bookish crush with adorable pigtails that bounce with each step she-)  
_

"Can I ask you something personal?" Maka asked.  
"Depends on what it is."  
"Were you lonely, just lying in the infirmary by yourself?"  
_(If I had a dollar...)  
_"Not really. I had breaks where I could just head into the library. As long as I have a book to read, I'm fine."  
"Oh, you like to read?"  
"Yeah, it was one of my favorite things to do besides training."  
"What a coincidence, mine too!"  
Sigfried smiled at her reaction, a knowing smile. He thanked Jaxx in his mind. He then mustered up the courage to say something else to Maka.  
"Maybe we could... I don't know... get together and read sometime? Or something...?" He braced for a harsh rejection with a face that said: _We just met, I don't think we should start doing that right now_. But what he got was much better.  
"Sure! That sounds like a good idea. Maybe over a picnic? I've been looking for someone to read with lately."  
Siegfried felt like he was going to die of happiness. He felt his heart beating.  
"Uh, yeah! That's a _great_ idea!" He chuckled pathetically, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe, tomorrow?"  
"Sure! Oh, my class is up ahead." Her walk broke into a run as she headed up past the infirmary. "I'll talk to you tonight, I guess?"  
"Yeah, I'll see you..." His sentence trailed off as Maka entered the classroom and closed the door. As Sigfried walked towards the infirmary, he almost skipped merrily.

Almost.


	5. Chapter 5: Let's Go Part 1

**Recommended Listening Music: **Celldweller - Hyperion

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**CHAPTER 5**

Let's Go Part 1

**1**

_Jaxx_

"Sig!" Jaxx called to his partner. "Slow down, will ya?"  
"If you cant keep up," Sigfried replied, "then stay behind. I'll do this alone if I have to!"  
"You and I both know that's not gonna work."  
"I can fight without you, you know that."  
"Yeah, _barely_. Just explain why you're doing this!"  
Siegfried stopped on a tree branch, but did not turn around. "I cant explain it, but I just _know_. I _know_ she's in trouble. I _saw_ her."  
"You saw her in your _mind_. What if it turns out that she just got lost or something?  
Siegfried simply stood there, clenching his fists. Jaxx could almost feel the rage seeming from him, almost hearing him tick, about to explode.  
"You're either with me", he said in a pained voice, "or against me. Which is it?"

There was a long pause. Jaxx looked at his partner with uncertainty, almost fear. Sweat dripped from his forehead, down to his cheeks. _If I don't do something now... I don't know __what the hell is going to happen..._ Jaxx often had these thoughts before opening his big mouth. He pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose.

"...Okay. Let's do it. You owe me if you're wrong, got it?"  
Siegfried smiled. "Yeah. Let's go."  
"You don't want to go Valkyrie so you don't have to move?"  
"I told you not to call it that. And besides, it's faster if I stay like this." Sigfried turned his head to make sure his partner was behind him and jumped to the next branch.  
Jaxx looked on and smiled. _He must really love this chick._ He jumped after him.

**2**

_Siegfried_

The situation that Siegfried and Jaxx found themselves a part of began near the end of the same day Siegfried and Maka scheduled a picnic.  
_(we're going to be alone, just the two of us. That's like... a date? Maybe?)  
_He begged and pleaded with Professor Stein to be allowed to spend most of the night outside of the infirmary.

"You're not allowed to exit the Academy at night, especially in your condition, but-."  
"_Please_ Doc? Just for tonight? I'll make it up to you, I _promise_!""Hold on. I said you're not allowed to, but Lord Death completely agrees with the idea. He says that it's a good opportunity for you to make friends. Just make these little parties uncommon, alright?"  
"You got it! Thanks a million, Doc!"  
"Fine, fine. By the way, challenging her to a fight isn't a good idea. Just saying."  
"Tell me about it."

Siegfried relaxed under the covers of his hospital bed, reading  
(a lot more often now, for obvious reasons)  
another horror story when he heard something that chilled him to the bone. He shuddered, book falling onto his covered lap.  
He heard a deafening shriek.  
It was a mix of fear and pain, taking his eardrums by storm, rocking his head. He quickly placed his hands over his ears and felt the iron taste of his own blood rising in his throat. He coughed loudly into his palm. _Once every four hours.  
_

"What was that?" He asked Stein.  
"What was what?"  
"You didn't hear the scream?"  
"I didn't hear anything. What did it sound like?"  
"Sounded like someone was screaming in agony."  
"Male or female?"  
"...Female. Definitely female."  
"Did you recognize the voice at all?"  
Sigfried place a hand on his chin and thought  
_(all Siegfrieds think a lot)  
_deeply. The silence was frightening and so overwhelming that he could hear Stein's cigarette sizzling.  
"No. I did not recognize the voice at all."  
"I heard you coughing blood before you called me. The scream that you heard was probably just from the sickness."

Little did Siegfried know that if he had heard the scream after what had happened that night, he would have stood up quickly without a word and ran to her as fast as he could.

**3  
**

Siegfried had never been more excited in his life after the school day ended. Not only was there going to be a kick-ass party, but he was going to have a picnic with _her _the next day. Things were finally looking up. _Well what do you know, old man? Things are better this way._ Sigfried felt himself resisting the urge to cry a little, remembering all the time he had spent with his father before he sent himself off. He remembered how catatonic his father had been during those last three years of homeschooling before he would be taken in to the DWMA at the age of fifteen.

"Your father is just being silly," Margaret Cyprus told her son once.  
"Don't lie to me mother, I know that he's mad at me."

"I've accepted it. He's going gonna be mad and he might _stay _mad. But for once, I think I know what's best for me."

Margaret hugged her son then, tears slowly running down both of their eyes.

This memory brought tears to Siegfried's eyes now, despite the resistance and he smiled wanly. He quickly found himself rubbing them with the back of his hand as he saw Kid approaching him.

"Siegfried, I've been meaning to talk to you. The party's off."  
"What? Why?"  
"Maka and Soul went on a mission an hour ago and they still haven't returned. It's quite odd, considering that all they had to do was obtain one evil soul in a town only a mile or two away from here."  
"Ah. That makes sense."  
"I'm sorry that you wont be able to talk to Maka."  
"Hm? Oh, that's fine. We were talking just yesterday and we sort of scheduled a little pic-"

Lightning crashed with a boom and thunder followed, making them jump. Rain poured not long after. As Siegfried look up at the dancing lightning, his eyes widened. Images began to flash in his head. They were almost to fast to comprehend, but he picked up something that made his heart skip two beats.  
He saw Maka, dead, her body a bloody heap on the rain covered ground. There was a large blur where her left arm was supposed to be. But what horrified Sigfried the most was the shadow towering over her. A large, inhuman shadow with fur.

Siegfried wanted to scream. To fall on his knees and tear his hair out. He felt like he was going insane. But he didn't do those things. He ran. He ran as fast as he could, Kid's calls of confusion echoing and dying behind him. He ran down stairs and exited the school, where he stopped only to punch Jaxx in the arm.

"We're going. Now. Let's go."  
"What? Dude, what are you-"

But Siegfried was already taking off. Jaxx sighed and started running after him. Siegfried didn't know why, all he knew was that he had to do it. He somehow knew where to go and what to look for. Jaxx was calling him now, asking him what was going on. _No time. Just go._

He had to find her.  
He had to save her.  
And whoever did this was going to pay. Pay with their fucking life.

**4**

_Maka_

Hurt. Everything hurt. Rain was in her eyes and she could barely see straight. She turned her head and saw Soul lying unconscious, a gash in his back.

"Not done yet, brat."

She looked up and saw the werewolf approaching her. She coughed blood on to the ground and saw it wash away with the rain. Grayness began to overcome her.

"Let's finish this. Nice and slow."

She heard the ground shake and could almost hear the _whoosh _as the ice exited the ground toward her. She closed her eyes, breathing one last time... and heard the ice shatter. She opened her eyes and saw a figure standing in front of her. She could see the protection and care emitting from his soul.

"And who's this now?" The werewolf asked.  
"Me?" Siegfried pointed at himself with a thumb. "I'm your silver bullet, you _freak_."


	6. Chapter 6: Let's Go Part 2

**Recommended Listening Music: **Blue Stahli - Let's Go

* * *

**CHAPTER 6**

Let's Go Part 2

_I'm an animal, I'm a ricochet_  
_I'm a fire burning out of control_  
_You wanna smash it up_  
_You wanna break the chain_

_Come on baby Let's Go_

**1**

"Me? I'm your silver bullet, you _freak_."

His words echoed in the pounding rain. Maka recognized his voice instantly.

"Sig...Siegfried..."  
Sigfried quickly turned around and knelt next to her. "You okay?"  
She smiled a fake smile. "I am, but Soul, he's-"  
"Don't worry about it, he's gonna be okay." He looked down at Maka's arm. "My god, your _arm_, it's..."  
"I'm fine, Siegfried. Really."

Siegfried examined her closely. She was disheveled, bruised and bloody... but she wasn't _dead_. His vision wasn't of the present, but of the future. _If I arrived just a minute later, she would have been_- his thoughts broke at the sight of her right arm. Even under her trench coat he could tell that it was fractured in three places. Just the thought of what it could look like underneath made Siegfried shutter.

"Come to save your girl?" The werewolf asked. "Pretty noble of you."

Maka saw that Siegfried was clenching his fists.

"Answer me something," Sigfried said in that pained voice. "Did you do this?"  
The werewolf, known as Free, showed a toothy grin. "That's right. It was all me."  
Siegfried's anger began to boil. It made him shake. "Siegfried?" Maka asked.  
"If you hadn't shown up when you did," Free continued, "I wouldn't have just broken her arm. I would have torn the whole. Thing. _Off_!" He laughed merrily. "_I would have ripped her to pieces_!" His laugh went form merry to insane.  
"Siegfried, he's just trying to psyche you out," Maka said. "Don't let him get to you."

Siegfried didn't know what he was going to do if Jaxx hadn't shown up at that exact moment.

"Well I'll be damned. You were right after all, Sig!"

Siegfried didn't say a word. He stood up and walked towards Free, stopping just fifteen feet away.

"Jaxx, is _he_ okay?" Maka asked.  
Jaxx looked on and saw the determination seeping from his partner. "You don't know this," he began, "but he really cares about you. When he found out you were in trouble, he didn't say a word. He just left. I've never heard of someone caring so much for a friend before. I think... I think he cares more for you than most Meister and Weapon partners care about each other... it's strange, but at the same time... it's heartwarming."

Maka looked up at Siegfried, realization flowing through her. She didn't smile, only said softly, "...Siegfried..."  
Siegfried, who didn't hear Maka but almost knew what she was thinking, gave her a thumbs-up. Jaxx walked up to Sigfried and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We're going to have to fight him, aren't we?" He asked.  
"Yep. You ready for this?"  
"...Nope."  
"Didn't think so."  
"Wait, you're not going to fight him are you?" Maka asked. "He's immortal! You can't kill him!"  
"So you're serious about this, huh?" Free said. "That's fine with me. Give me everything you've got! COME ON THEN!"

Siegfried matched Free's smile and jumped high into the air. At the peak of his jump, he transformed into a large two-handed sword. It's blade was jet-black with archaic symbols written on it, it's hilt silver. It spun madly as it descended, cutting the rain. Jaxx raised his hand, his eyes fixed on Free, and caught Siegfried by the hilt and let out a deep sigh. _Thank God I caught him this time. _Without saying a word, he brought the sword out in front of him. An insane grin was plastered on his face.

Neither Jaxx or Free said anything. Maka watched in awe as lightning struck far away, the starting gun firing, the battle beginning. They charged at the same time, Jaxx jumping with Siegfried held above his head, Free with his claws extended. As thunder roared, they clashed.

**2**

They came in contact, Free with his claws up to defend, sparks flying. Jaxx brought the sword around, aiming for Free's midsection. It was a direct hit.

"No use," Free said.  
_Sure about that?_ Siegfried replied.  
"What?

Jaxx removed the sword from Free's midsection as flowers of black ice sprouted from the wound. Free bellowed- more in anger and confusion than actual pain- and took a knee. Jaxx was about to end it when his foot went numb. He looked down and saw that a spear of ice had penetrated the ground and punctured his foot.

"_Shit_!"  
_Jaxx!_  
"Damn, I can't move!"  
"_Fighting Wolf Fist!_"  
"Wha-"

Before he knew it, Jaxx was being barraged by Free's punches. The situation would be almost comical if it weren't for the fact that Jaxx was seriously getting the crap getting beat out of him like a punching bag; thanks to the ice spear in his foot, Jaxx bounced back after every punch. Blood flew from his mouth, dampening Free's fur as the hits continued.

_Enough of this!_ Siegfried shouted.

A loud _clang!_ interrupted the punches. Siegfried had transformed into a jet-black shield, and Free's fist came in contact with it. There was a long, awkward silence as a tear slipped from Free's eye.

"OW! DAMN IT! THAT FUCKIN' HURT!" Free howled and put his aching fist into his mouth.  
"What the hell _is_ this guy?" Jaxx asked.  
_Never mind that, get rid of this damn ice!  
_  
Jaxx broke the spear and blood began to gush from his foot. Siegfried's head and torso morphed out of the shield and grabbed Jaxx's wound. Maka watched as black ice seeped from Siegfried's palm and onto the wound. _Oh! he's using the ice to numb Jaxx's wound and stop the bleeding... pretty resourceful..._

"Haha! Good as new!~"  
"Thank me later," Siegfried responded, and morphed back into the shield. _We need to subdue Big Bad Wolf over here before shit gets more difficult than it already is.  
_"Right. Now would be a good time to give me a sword to go with this shield."  
_Gotcha._

Jaxx pulled a small dagger from the shield. "What the hell is _this_!? I asked for a sword, not a small-fry!"  
_Calm down. I have an idea... you need to take one for the team...  
_"Haven't I done enough already? Ugh. Fine. I hope this works." Jaxx cracked his back. "Let's do this."

He turned to Free and prepared to strike. "Alright Big Bad Wolf," Jaxx said in an over-dramatic voice with a hint of sarcasm, "I'm gonna finish you with one blow!"  
Free removed his fist from his mouth. "Alright then! That's what I like to hear! Make this more exciting than the last meal!"  
Jaxx charged, shield on his side, sword extended. He yelled as loud as he could. Free simply stood still, his hands held out in a taunting gesture.  
"_TAKE THIS!" _Jaxx thrust the sword into Free's flesh with a final blow.

**3**

Jaxx was petrified and couldn't say a word; the sword had barely punctured him.

"It... it didn't work...?"  
Free laughed merrily. "Of course it didn't! You think a little dagger like that would even _phase_ me? You're weaker than the two before you!" Free pulled his arm back, preparing for a punch.  
"_Jaxx! Run! Get out of there now!_" Maka screamed. But Jaxx was unable to move. Free punched him then, sending him flying. Blood flew out of his mouth. he hit the ground with more of a _splash_ than a _thud_ thanks to the rain turning the ground to mud. That didn't stop pain from shooting into the arm he fell on, outweighing the pain in his stomach from the punch.

"I told you! _Nothing_ can stop me!" Free bellowed, not realizing that Siegfried was still stuck in his stomach.  
"That's what we were counting on, you son of a bitch!" Siegfried had transformed out of his weapon state except for his arm, which was still a dagger in Free's stomach.  
"What do you think you're-"  
Siegfried's arm turned into the blade of the two-handed sword, impaling Free's stomach. Maka could see the end of the sword exiting Free's back.  
"_RRRAAAAAAHHHHH!_" Siegfried screamed, lifting Free into the air.  
"_YOU STUPID SHIBUSEN BASTARD! PUT ME DOWN! I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL IF YOU DON'T LET ME GO!_"  
"Just shut _UP_!" Siegfried turned to his partner, who was just standing up. "_JAXX!_"  
Jaxx smirked. "_Damn it_!" He reached for Siegfried's hand... and took it. Siegfried transformed into a full Zweihänder, leaving Jaxx to hold Free up.  
_Jaxx, let's finish this!_  
"Right!"  
"_PUT ME DOWN!_"

**"****_Now Freeze... LEGACY TESTAMENT!_****"**

**4**

"_PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NO-" _In less than half a second, Free was frozen solid in black ice. Jaxx, who was out of breath, lowered Siegfried and dropped Free. His frozen body hit the ground with a _thwack_. Siegfried quickly transformed back into his human form to keep his partner's arms from aching. He placed an arm on his shoulder.

"Good job, Jaxx," he said.  
"Yeah... whatever..."  
"No smart-ass 'mysterious' comment?"  
"I took all the damn hits."  
"Hey, we took him down, didn't we? That's gotta count for something, right?"  
Jaxx turned and saw Maka coming towards them, holding her broken arm. "Uh, yeah... pretty good job..." Jaxx distanced himself from Siegfried slowly.

"Jaxx? What are you-"  
"Siegfried." He turned around and Maka was there again, frowning, looking down and blushing rather than smiling.  
"M-Maka, you should be sitting down, Soul is-"  
"Sou's fine, he's just asleep right now... Do you really care that much about me?"  
"Maka, I-"  
She looked up at him now. "Do you?"  
Siegfried could not keep the blush off of his face. "...Yes... I do..."  
Maka walked up to Siegfried, not saying a single word. Grayness overcame her again and she fell onto him, her good arm hugging him, embracing him. Siegfried's heart began to beat rapidly.  
"Thank you," Maka said. "Thank you so much. For everything."  
"Don't worry about it. Comrades do that for each other, right?"  
"Please don't lie to me, Siegfried."  
"...I feel terrible. Even though you're okay, I... If I had gotten there just a minute later... I... I was afraid that I would lose you..."  
Maka's eyes widened. She released Siegfried slowly, smiled... and kissed his cheek as the rain fell.


	7. Chapter 7: Aftermath

**Recommended Listening Music: **

Blue Stahli - Regret  
Emancipator - With Rainy Eyes

* * *

**CHAPTER 7  
**

Aftermath

**1**

It was late afternoon of the next day. Siegfried and Soul sat on chairs in the infirmary as Maka slumbered, her arm in a cast. She was indeed hurt, her arm broken in three places. The sun, which could barely stay awake, began to set; it flooded the room with a pale orange light. Soul had just finished telling Siegfried what had happened before he showed up; they were ambushed. They accepted a mission that was easy enough to complete and get back for the party; they ignored the fact that the mission was to be completed at a far-off location. Free ambushed them after the evil soul was collected and quickly incapacitated Soul and broke Maka's arm. _A smart plan for such a comically challenged werewolf_, Siegfried wanted to say, but he decided to keep it to himself for now; the damage was done. After the story, there was a long pause. The only sound that could be heard was Maka's light breathing as she slept. Soul broke the silence with a single word.

"Thanks."  
"Hm? For what?"  
"You know, for saving our asses."  
Siegfried smiled wanly. "Don't mention it. You guys are comrades, it was our job to-"  
"Spare me the bullshit, everyone knows why you _really_ did it."  
"Really? Why?"  
"'Cause of your huge crush on Maka."  
Siegfried caught his breath. "Shh! I don't want her to-"  
"Relax, man, she's fast asleep."  
"How did you find out?"  
"Kid made the ultimate mistake of telling Captain Spaz'"  
_(Blackstar)_  
"and the word was spread just about everywhere. Maka's probably the only one who doesn't know."  
"Jeez." Siegfried cleared his throat. "Since you brought it up, I've been meaning to ask you something."  
"You're going to ask if Maka and I are a couple, aren't you?"  
"Well... yeah. Are you?"

Soul rocked his chair back. He grinned a toothy grin, and Siegfried was hit by a flash of jealousy. He realized that regardless of Soul's answer, there was still the problem of Maka liking _him_. He wasn't surprised at all; Maka and Soul had been partners for a very long time and Siegfried could see how Maka would fall for him.  
_(The dude's got muscles while I'm flat as a board)_  
_(He can play the piano... well, I'm good with a violin or a cello...)_  
There was even a moment- a quick half of a second where Siegfried actually _hated_ Soul. _If the time comes where she falls for you, then fine. I'll let it go. But you'll _never_ love her the way I do. That's a promise._

**2**

Siegfried looked at Soul grinning with his chair leaning against the wall, waiting for an answer. All of a sudden Soul let out a soft chuckle.

"I can see how you would think that," he said finally, "but don't worry, we're not. Hell, we're usually at each other's throats. Not cool, as you can imagine."  
"So... you're saying that if I were to try and-"  
"That I would get mad? Nah, go for it. Honestly, I'd be happy if she found someone like you."  
Siegfried's eyes widened at this comment and he smiled. "What do you mean by that?"  
"Maka doesn't really care about her looks and stuff, but the fact that there's someone else who shares the same hobbies with her makes her happy."  
"And you know this because...?"  
"We were talking about you after she walked into class after lunch yesterday. She said she walked with you?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well, when she came back and sat down, I couldn't shut her up. She went on and on about how she was so happy that she found someone else who likes to read. She said she couldn't wait for the picnic that she scheduled with you."  
"...You're not trying to bullshit me, are you?"  
"I swear I'm not. You've got a good thing going here. Don't screw it up."  
"Any tips?"  
"Just be patient. She can be really boring sometimes."  
Siegfried rested his chin on his palms and looked at Maka. "Nah. She's _awesome_..."

**3**

Siegfried had been called out of the infirmary the next day to speak with Lord Death. He asked Professor Stein what the message was, but all he had said was that it was _very_ important. As he left, he saw Maka walking out of the EAT class. She waved with her good arm, which made Siegfried cringe inside._ If I had just gotten there five minutes earlier..._

Siegfried kept a smile on his face and approached her. "Hey, what's up?"  
"Hi! You heading to the Death Room too?"  
"Yeah. What's your reason?"  
"I think I have a bit of an idea..."  
"Care to fill me in?"  
She gave him another cute smile, something that would remain in his head no matter how many times he would try to push it away.  
"You'll find out."

**4**

"Siegfried! Maka! Good to see ya!" As always, Lord Death was in a very cheerful mood. "Tell me, how _are_ you two doing today?"  
"We're doing fine Lord Death," Maka replied.  
"Things are just peachy," Siegfried said.  
"Good, good! Now, about why I called you in here... Siegfried, I understand you've been wanting to start taking classes."  
"Yeah, what about it?"  
"Well, I've been doing some thinking, and I've come to a decision. You're first day begins tomorrow!"

At first Siegfried just stood there, his mouth hanging open. Lord Death cocked his head to one side. Maka elbowed Siegfried's arm and he snapped back to reality.

"Lord Death... do you mean it?"  
"Of course!"  
"I... I don't know how I could ever begin to thank you-"  
"You can thank Maka; After all, _she_ was the one who convinced me. After your fight with the werewolf, she thought it would be a good idea that both you and Jaxx start learning in the same classroom."  
That's_ why she was heading to the Death Room, too_, Siegfried thought.  
"Now," Lord Death continued, "since you're so far behind the other students, you're going to need a lot of preparation..."

In his mind, Siegfried saw Maka inviting him over to her house to do some private studying. He saw her tutoring him, cheek-to-cheek, alone on a couch. He imagined Maka turning her head, sending a pigtail into his face and a hot blush found its way onto Siegfried's face._  
_

"...So you're going to need some textbooks. These should cover the first few days." Lord Death broke Siegfried's illusion by handing him a tower of heavy books, which caused Siegfried to fall over. "Make sure to study up!"


	8. Chapter 8: Victory?

**Recommended Listening Music: **Nujabes - Counting Stars

* * *

**CHAPTER 8  
**

Victory?

**1**

"Maka... thank you so much," Siegfried said as they walked out of the Death Room toward the infirmary. He was about to finally live his dream; being taught at the Academy. _Just thanking her like this seems ungrateful... I owe her so much..._ "How could I ever repay you?"  
"You don't need to thank me, Siegfried," she said. "You just have to do one thing for me."  
"Anything."  
Siegfried thought he saw a blush on Maka's face as she spoke. "You need to read with me this Saturday over a picnic. We scheduled one, remember?"  
"How could i forget?"  
Maka smiled. "I'm the one who should be thanking _you_. You saved me, after all."  
"If I had gotten there just a minute earlier, I could have saved your arm and-"  
"_Don't you say that_!" She was almost yelling. "If it weren't for you... I wouldn't be here right now... and you know it. So please, don't talk like that."  
Siegfried took a breath. "I'm sorry, I just... really care about you."  
"I know you do. I care about you, too..."

There was a second where they both blushed, their heads turned away from each other.

"M-make sure you study tonight and get up early tomorrow," Maka said finally.  
"Yeah. No worries."

As they said their goodbyes and entered their respective rooms (the classroom for Maka and the infirmary for Siegfried), something between coincidence and fate occurred; as they closed their doors, they both leaned their backs against them at the same time, their faces bright red, smiling.

**2**

Siegfried walked down the hallway the next morning with his eyes droopy. He was exhausted; he had forgotten that going to school meant getting up early, not to mention that he woke up to Stein turning his head screw.  
_(Almost shit myself hearing that sound... like nails on a freaking chalkboard)_  
"Get up. Your classes start today and I'm not telling you again."  
"Ugh. Yes, sir."

His yawn stopped abruptly as he read the sign of the class he was assigned. _Crescent Moon... _EAT_ Class? I_-_I'm in the same class with... with... _Siegfried shook the thought out of his head and opened the door with a trembling hand. As soon as he entered the room, a very familiar voice called.  
"Siegfried!" Maka called and waved. "Over here!" _Looks like my morning just got better_, Siegfried thought as he walked up and sat down next to her.

"Oh look, the new kid's finally here!" Blackstar called.  
"Greetings."  
"Greetings? That's all you have to say to the mighty Blacksta-"  
"Look man, I'm exhausted. The least you could do is not give me a migraine."  
"Jeez Maka, you didn't tell me this dude was such a bore."

Maka responded by smashing Blackstar's head in with a book. _So _that's_ what __Jaxx was talking_ _about_, Siegfied thought. He laughed.

"Ok, _that_ was funny."  
"This is the only way to shut him up," Maka replied. The two shared a laugh as Siegfried pulled out a book and began to read. Maka leaned in close to Siegfried  
_(Shit shit shit shit)_  
and asked him what book he was reading as class started.

**3**

The day came and went rather quickly. _It was a Friday, after all. Things usually go smoothly on those days. _Siegfried was walking rather close to Maka as the two found a spot for the picnic. He tried his best to look away from her so he wouldn't have to see her broken arm  
_(Don't you say that!)_  
or start staring at her again.  
_(I care about you too...__)  
_

The picnic just made the feeling worse for him. As they sat reading quietly (Maka was able read with one hand pretty easily), Siegfried had the irresistible urge to turn his head and ask Maka out on a date. He played the scene over and over in his mind; the question, her response and the aftermath (if the little episode ended with "yes", she hugged him tight while a "no" brought a small storm cloud over his head). If it weren't for Maka asking him a question and striking a conversation, Siegfried didn't know if he was going to be able to resist it.

"Can I ask you something personal again?" She asked, turning her head from her book.  
"Sure."  
"How was it being homeschooled? Did you like it?"  
Siegfried spent a few minutes telling Maka everything about it; the sickness, the homeschooling and Lord Death's invitation.  
"Wait, I thought you said you were accepted into the DWMA when you were 15 years old?" Maka asked.  
"I was. My father and Lord Death agreed that I would spend three more years being homeshcooled before being accepted. I hated it, of course, but I wasn't about to pass up the chance to be able to learn at the Academy."  
"...And when you first entered the Academy you started getting sick again?"  
"Yeah. It was a real pain, but I was able to get through it."  
"I'm glad that you did, and that I was able to meet you..."  
"I am too..." All of a sudden Siegfried felt the iron taste in his throat. He dropped his book suddenly and started coughing into his hand. He tried to cough softly, but to no avail; Maka dropped her book and started rubbing his back.  
"Oh Siegfried..."  
"It's fine."  
"Do you need some medicine? I can run back and-"  
"Trust me, I'll be okay. I'm sorry, I should have coughed into a napkin-

Maka interrupted Siegfried by hugging him. Unlike the hug after the fight with the werewolf, this hug made Siegfried blush madly; she nuzzled his chest and he could feel the warmth of her forehead. _This isn't a hug... this is a snuggle..._

"Siegfried... I'm so sorry this is happening to you..."  
Siegfried could hardly speak. "A-alright. It's alright."  
"No... you're suffering and-"  
"Maka, I mean it. I only cough like this once every four hours."  
Maka released Siegfried and gave him a puzzled look. "Your face is red. What's wrong?"  
"I-I sometimes get little fevers after the coughing fits."  
Maka placed a hand on Siegfried's forehead, causing the latter's heart to race. "That's strange, you don't feel like you have a fever." At that moment, Maka noticed how nervous Siegfried was acting. She remembered his heart beating frantically when she hugged him. She almost figured it out.  
"Maka, what's wrong?" Siegfried asked.  
Maka's hand went back to her book. "It's nothing. Let's just forget about it and get back to reading, okay?"  
"Yeah. Okay."

As they continued to read quietly, a similar thought found its way into their heads; one of peace and romance.

**4**

Three weeks passed and Siegfried was surprised to see that he had some of the best grades in his class. He was also surprised to see that Maka's arm was already out of its cast. He noticed that Maka's mood was much more cheerful now that she was able to use both of her arms. Siegfried was introduced to the rest of the gang during the past week and was glad to be accepted into their group. He lay awake one night at the verge of tears, thinking about how he was accepted so easily, finally having friends after years of staying at home and training.

And now, relaxing on a park bench and watching the group play basketball, he finally felt at peace-

"Hey Siegfried," Blackstar called, "you've been sitting there for a while. How about a game?"  
"I'm good."  
"Oh, I think you'll enjoy this one," Kid chimed in.  
"What do you mean?"  
"If Blackstar looses, he's not allowed to talk for three whole days."  
"I'm in," Siegfried answered quickly. Shutting Blackstar up seemed too good of a reward. Little did he know that he had no idea how to play basketball. If he were to hear what his punishment was if he lost, he would have ran back to the infirmary without a word.

About three minutes later, Kid, who was the referee, called the game off after the score became 15-0. Siegfried decided to simply walk off and sit back down at his bench, but was interrupted by Blackstar.

"You're not out of it yet. You still have your punishment!"  
Siegfried, with his back to Blackstar, shrugged. "Fine, fine. What is it? Do I have to stop eating for three days? Do I stop sleeping for-"  
"You have to _Ask_. _Maka_._ Out_."

Siegfried shuddered and began to sweat. _It's not time yet. Things aren't ready yet. We still have things to talk about, things to work out, things to do... _There was a long pause.

"...Right now?"  
"That's right."  
"And what if I don't?"  
"Then we tell her about your little crush."

Siegfried shuddered again. He had two choices in front of him- one was to suck it up and ask Maka out now and the other was to have someone _else_ tell her and look like an idiot who doesn't know how to express his feelings. With this on his plate, he took a deep breath and chose the former.

What came next felt like an eternity. He slowly walked over to the bench that Maka was reading on and said hello.

"Oh! Hi, Siegfried."  
"H-hey. Um, how's your arm doing?"  
"Hm? Oh, it's doing well. I'm not playing basketball since my arm just got out of its cast and I don't want to put stress on it too soon."  
"That's good. I've... I've been meaning to ask you something."  
"Sure!"  
_(This isn't fair her hair is down she's wearing a little pink jacket she looks so cute I can't I can't I can't)  
_Siegfried lowered his head, his face bright red. He twiddled his thumbs. "I was wondering... maybe... if you wanted to... I don't know...  
_(Hurry up just ask her)__  
_like... go out...  
_(FINISH IT DAMN IT__)_  
this Saturday... or something...?"  
Maka cocked her head to one side. "You mean... like a date?"  
Siegfried shuddered one last time. He nodded and braced for rejection. "Y-yeah..." The wait seemed like an eternity. He looked up at her... and Maka broke the silence. She smiled.

"...Sure! That sounds great!"

Siegfried stood there with his mouth gaping open, millions of angelic choirs playing in his head. Something happened to Siegfried for the first time that day, something that Professor Stein couldn't even explain. The blood in his throat surged again, but it came out in another direction.

"Siegfried?" Maka asked in concern.

All of a sudden a jet of blood burst from Siegfried's nose and he fainted on the asphalt.


	9. Chapter 9: Closet Kisses Part 1

**Recommended Music:**  
Madeon - For You  
Martin Solveig - The Night Out (Madeon Remix)

**CHAPTER 9  
**

Closet Kisses Part 1

**1**

Maka gently rubbed Siegfried's back with one hand as they sat on a bench by the basketball court, the other hand holding a book. Siegfried's head was down and he didn't say a word.

"Siegfried?" Maka asked. "Are you alright?"  
"What do you think?" He muttered. "I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life."  
"It's okay if you had a nose bleed, I don't mind. Besides, I said yes, didn't I?" Siegfried turned his head towards Maka and smiled. That much was true. Maka didn't smile back. "Try to control yourself, alright? I don't want you fainting like this over and over."  
"I'm sorry, I just... I just have a lot on my plate at the moment. Thanks to that stupid bet, things are just-"  
"Wait, this was just you losing a bet?" Siegfried saw that Maka's anger began to rise. "You mean you only asked me on a date because you lost?"  
"W-Well it's not exactly-"  
"...Here I thought you had feelings for me..."  
Siegfried saw that Maka had her head down. _Was she actually happy about all of this...?_

"Maka, listen to me. Please?" Maka slowly turned her head to him. "Truth is, I've meant to do something like this for a while now. I've..." Siegfried rubbed the back of his neck, something that was turning into a habit. "I've had a crush on you for a while now, and... and I've tried to... to get my feelings in order and tell you how I feel."  
"Is that why your nose was bleeding?"  
"Yeah. When I see you, I usually see someone who's out of my league, someone who I don't have a chance in hell of getting in a relationship or even talking with. When you said yes so quickly, I felt like things were too good to be true. Everything just came at me like a locomotive and I freaked out, like a doctor telling their patient that they only have six months to live."  
"That makes sense," Maka said, a smile appearing on her face. "I can see why things were so stressful for you now. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make things so complicated."  
"It's fine, really." Siegfried knew the direction things were headed. _Choo Choo! Next stop, the Friendzone!_ "I should have warned you or something. Or at least tell Captain Spaz to wait a few weeks before dropping a bombshell of a punishment on me."  
Maka scooched in closer. "To be honest, things are really complicated for me, too. I mean, after what happened with my parents."  
"What happened?"  
"Well, I caught my Papa cheating on my mother. A lot. It sickened me and I could never look at a boy for a long time. For a while, Soul was the only boy I could really trust, and even then I had my doubts. I felt like every single boy I was close to was out to screw me over somehow. Honestly, when you asked me out, I sort of panicked. I didn't want to say no and hurt your feelings and I didn't want to say yes and get screwed over."

Siegfried looked back at her, almost feeling her pain. He had no idea what he would do if he caught his parents cheating on one another. God forbid an affair. Depressed but wanting to make Maka happy, Siegfried looked back down and spoke again.

"Listen, Maka. If you don't want to do this... then fine. I understand. You've had a sickening past and I don't want to make you throw up all over your future." He looked up at her again. "But I swear to you. I would never do something so horrible, so... so..." Siegfried searched for the right word to finish his point. "So _disgusting_ to you. I don't even want to say the word. It's the kind of word that makes me sick. I would be fair to you, just as I know _you_ would be fair to me."  
Maka took a deep breath. "Well... I know that you're telling the truth. For the month that I've known you, you've been so kind and thoughtful, only wanting to make me happy. I appreciate that from the bottom of my heart. So I guess, maybe..." Her green eyes met his black ones for a second. "I guess I can give you a chance. I have my doubts, doubts that I guess I'll always have, but I owe you for everything that you've done."  
"I don't want you feeling like you owe me. Because you dont."  
"Here I thought you would have just stopped talking knowing I'm going out with you."  
"You're going to find out that that's not the kind of boy that I am."  
Maka froze for a moment, feeling her arms under her pink jacket tingle with gooseflesh. She began to feel love coming off of Siegfried, a true love that couldn't be broken by a taller girl with a bigger chest.

For a moment she actually felt like she could trust him.

**2**

Jaxx wiped tears from his eyes after Siegfried told him of how he asked Maka out on his hospital bed. He cried laughing for almost five minutes until Stein had to tell him to "shut his trap or he'll be dissected".

"You-You lost a basketball game? Oh that's rich- _your nose bled? _This is too much, man."  
"At least I actually _asked_ the girl I liked. What about you and Jacqueline?"  
Siegfried thought he saw a blush on Jaxx's face. "What about her? She's the enemy."  
"You and I both know that's not true."  
Jaxx had a grave expression on his face. He pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "Let's not talk about that now." A smile reappeared on his face. "So! When's your date with Maka?"  
"Tomorrow night. I'm nervous as hell."  
"What are you guys going to do?"  
"We're gonna spend the night walking around the city, shopping, you know."  
"Ah. That sounds nice. Make sure to..."

As their conversation continued, a certain red-haired father was listening in. When he decided that enough was enough, he opened the door and walked in. Jaxx barely had time to speak before Death Scythe kicked him out.

"I need to talk to Siegfried. Get out for a sec'." He plopped down on a chair next to Siegfried. "So... you're dating my Maka."  
"Yes sir."  
Spirit leaned in dreadfully close, his hands clasped and tears of joy in his eyes. "_I've waited so long for this moment! Her first love is someone proper!_"  
Siegfried blinked. "Uh... Mr. Death Scythe? Are you alright?"  
Spirit stood up quickly and straightened his tie. He began to pace around Siegfried's bed. "I'm fine. Now, if you're going to date Maka, you're going to need some preparation... She's gorgeous, enjoys reading, puzzles, she's at the top of her class..." A long pause followed.  
"Um... sir?"  
"Hm? Oh. Right." His hand went into his pocket. "Anyway, here's the deal." He pulled a large packet of poorly stapled papers and slammed it down on the bed. Siegfried guessed that there were about 70 papers.  
"What is _that_?"  
"_This_ is a book of Maka's likes and dislikes. Have this memorized by tomorrow night. If you don't, you have no chance with her."  
"Wait, _what_? This _entire freaking book_!? How am I supposed to memorize this? There's probably a _thousand_ pages!"  
"Close, there are two thousand."  
Siegfried flipped through the pages. "Her favorite color is green?"  
_(That's not very... creative...)_  
"_How could you not know that!? _Her eyes are green, her tie is green!"  
"Technically, her tie is _white _and green."  
"Huh. Maybe you're not hopeless after all," Spirit said as he left. "Get it memorized. Break her heart and you'll be eating through a straw." He slammed the door after walking out of the infirmary.

**3**

The night's weather turned out to be just what Siegfried had wanted; crisp and clear with no chance of rain to ruin the date. It was a bit chilly outside, much to his pleasure. _If it gets too cold, I can give Maka my jacket... I'm blushing just thinking about it!_ Things didn't go too according to plan, however, as Maka had walked out in her trench coat and gloves. Siegfried, still confident that he could make things work, kept a smile on his face as he picked her up from her dorm, not realizing that he had dark circles under his eyes from staying up and reading Spirit's two-thousand page report.

"You look exhausted," Maka commented.  
"Hm? Nah. I'm wide awake." He chuckled pathetically.  
"Oh, I see what's going on. My papa gave you _the book_, didn't he."  
"Hold on, you know about it?"  
"Ugh, how could I not? I caught him stalking me a couple of times and writing in that stupid thing." Maka and Siegfried exited the dorms and began their walk through the city. "Honestly, I feel like hates me sometimes."  
"He just makes really poor decisions, that's all. He loves you, I'm sure of it. sometimes love makes you do really stupid things."  
"You mean like how your nose exploded when you asked me out? Or when you wanted to fight the werewolf on your own?"  
Siegfried blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah, a little bit like that..."

As the two neared a plaza, Siegfried noticed that Maka was looking depressed. He asked her what was wrong.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said with a smile too good to be true.  
"That fake smile says otherwise." Siegfried stopped walking. "Still having second thoughts?" Maka nodded slowly. "For goodness sakes, Maka..."  
"Can you blame me? I know it's selfish, but I don't feel like I can..."  
"Why in the world do you think I would _cheat_ on you?"  
"For the same reason my Papa cheated on my Mama..." She looked down and crossed her arms over her chest.  
Siegfried stood speechless with his mouth hanging open. He closed his eyes and turned around, walking two steps away with his hands clenched into fists. As Maka looked up, he shouted: "_What an asshole__!_"  
"Siegfried?"  
"Cheating on a girl because of her_ chest size_... marrying a woman and cheating on her for something so _irrelevant_."  
Maka felt a wave of respect for Siegfried wash over her. It's as if he was sharing her pain. "Don't let it bother you too much," she said.  
"How can I not? Thanks to your jerk of a father you cant trust me."  
"I just need some time to start trusting you."  
"That's what the purpose of the date is, right? To trust me?"  
"I suppose..."  
Siegfried got down on one knee and held her shoulders. "I'm going to say this one last time. I would _never_ even _think_ of cheating on someone as beautiful as you."  
Maka drew her breath, her eyes open wide. "...Beautiful?"  
"Yeah."  
"Do you really mean that?"  
"Of course I do. Do I need to go into detail?"  
Maka looked away suddenly. "Maybe just... one thing?"  
Siegfried smiled. "I think you have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen... so big and beautiful. Should I go on, or is this getting creepy?"  
For the first time that Siegfried could see, Maka blushed. She smiled back at him. "You're such a suck-up."  
"I know." His eyes moved past her and towards the plaza, where he spotted a bookstore.

**4**

The walk to the bookstore was one of the most nervous walks Siegfried had ever taken in his life. Maka, who's mood became much more cheerful after Siegfried's little confession, began to walk extremely close to him. There were multiple occasions where their arms had touched and Siegfried drew his breath. Maka always responded by turning to him and smiling her adorable smile. Siegfried desperately held back the urge to grab Maka's hand, not caring how awkward the situation would be, just wanting to experience what her hand felt like- _Wait a minute, she's wearing gloves... damn it all..._ Siegfried's thoughts broke as he noticed that Maka wasn't next to him.

"Maka?" He called. "Where are you?"  
"Over here!" Maka waved.

Siegfried walked over and saw that she had a very serious look of concentration on her face. She was staring through a bookstore window at a rather expensive novel, sitting oh so royally on its pedestal. Siegfried could almost see the fire in Maka's eyes as she stared.

"See something you like?" Siegfried asked as he walked over to her.  
"Yeah. Look at _that_."  
"...What is _that_?"  
"This is the next book in the trilogy that I'm reading.. it's not supposed to come out for another seven months!"  
"Oh, you mean the _Tomb of Ancients_ series?"  
"That's right! I've never read it in front of anyone. How did you know?"  
"Lucky guess?"  
_(This is a book of Maka's likes and dislikes)__  
__(Break her heart and you'll be eating through a straw)_  
_"_I _need_ this book. I'm not exaggerating." Maka's tone went from cheerful to serious. "It's the only one in stock right now, it's signed by the author... but it's _soooo_ expensive!"  
"I've never seen you like this before."  
"Of course you haven't, you're the first person to see me like this... it's embarrassing, really..."  
"I think it's kind of cute. I mean, you're acting like Kid about symmetry."  
"It's not _that_ bad, Siegfried."  
"Yeah, you're right." He stretched. "I'll be right back."  
"Where are you going?"  
"Bathroom. Besides, I know when I'm a third wheel."  
Maka smashed Siegfried's head with a book. "That was rude of you to say."  
Siegfried rubbed his aching head, chuckling all the while. "Right, right. I'll be back."

Siegfried had no urge to use the restroom; instead, he waited outside of a store a block away and waited for someone to walk out of the bookstore in his direction. He kept his eye out for the richest-looking guy to walk by and was surprised to see Kid walking out of the bookstore.

"Oh, hello, Siegfried."  
"Kid, I really need your help."  
"What's the problem?" Siegfried told him everything. "And you need my help because...?"  
"I need you to go inside and purchase that book in the window. I'm _begging_ you."  
"Can't you just go inside and purchase it yourself?"  
"If she sees me inside the store she's going to run inside and convince me not to buy it for her. I really want to do this for Maka, _please,_ Kid!"  
"...Since I find this gesture to be kind and selfless, I'll do it. But we'll need to pool our money."

Siegfried handed Kid his wallet without a word. They pooled what looked like just enough money to purchase the book (Kid emptied Siegfried's entire wallet to his dismay) and Kid began his walk back to the bookstore. As he did, he approached a man walking out of the bookstore and started a conversation. To Siegfried's utter horror, Kid gave the man the money that they had saved and walked back. Siegfried stood with his mouth hanging open.

"What's the problem now, Siegfried?"  
"_Why did you give him all of our freaking cash!?"  
_"That book is atrocious, did you _see_ the front cover?"  
"What about it!?"  
Kid looked down, clenching his fists."_The title of any novel should be centered! The text alignment was completely off and not symmetrical at all!_" He calmed down and dusted himself off. "I'm not going to touch such a monstrosity. Besides, I paid the man to go inside, purchase the book and meet us out here."

Siegfried lost the feeling in his legs and fell to his knees. He looked up at the moon in the night sky and felt like screaming bloody murder. Instead he whispered to himself.

"Why why why why. Why must I deal with this crap right now. Why must I deal with this. Please someone tell me why. I just want to make her happy. Make Maka happy. Maka happy Maka..."  
The man that Kid paid walked over to them, a package in his hands. "I got the book you ordered and- woah, what's wrong with him?"  
"It's nothing. Just leave the package next to him."  
"Uh, okay then."  
"Siegfried, get up."  
"Everything I see is a nightmare."  
"What do you mean? I asked a cashier to go inside and get the book for us."  
Siegfried stood up. "Wait, that was a cashier?"  
"I just said that, yes."  
Siegfried let out a relieved sigh and smiled. "Thanks, Kid. Sorry about freaking out like that."  
"Don't worry about it. Just take this horrible book out of my sight and give it to her."

Siegfried looked towards the bookstore and saw Maka collapsed, her head on the bookstore window.

**5**

"I'm back and- Maka, what's wrong?" Siegfried said, already knowing the answer.  
"The book... someone purchased it... I can't believe it..." She uttered an adorable little groan that put a smile on Siegfried's face.  
"Don't worry Maka, it's just a book. It comes out in seven months, right?"  
"Yeah... I guess..." Maka turned to look at Siegfried and smiled another fake smile. "I won't let this ruin our evening."  
Siegfried, who had his arms behind his back to hide the package, gave Maka a reassuring look. "I... might know who purchased the book, by the way."  
"Really? Who..." Maka's sentence trailed off as she realized that Siegfried was hiding something behind his back. Maka's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No... Siegfried, you didn't..."  
Siegfried sighed, looking the other way. He blushed and revealed the package. "Yeah... I did..."


	10. Chapter 10: Closet Kisses Part 2

**Recommended Listening Music:**  
Madeon - The City  
Fall Out Boy - The (After) Life of the Party

* * *

**CHAPTER 10  
**

Closet Kisses Part 2

**1**

Siegfried kept his eyes shut, refusing to open them. He tried his very best to think of something else; training with Jaxx,  
_(Her hand is so soft)  
_listening to another lecture from Stein in the classroom,  
_(Every time the wind blows her pigtail brushes my_ _chin)_  
or playing the chello.  
_(Oh God her thumb is massaging my hand)_

Nothing worked. Everything went back to what led up to the situation that he was in now. Maka delicately slipping off the glove on her right hand, her fingers slipping neatly into the spaces between his, her head resting so gently on his shoulder. A cold gust of wind blew and Maka did the impossible; she snuggled up to him in the cold air. Siegfried knew that he deserved every moment, but at times wondered why. _I know what I did... but why do I feel regret? _

Before Siegfried found himself in this situation, he realized that this wasn't some small little crush he had on this girl, but a full-blown obsession. He _loved_ her. He wanted to fight for her, even die for her. If Maka were to ask him, "Siegfried, be a dear and impale yourself with your own sword", he would have done it without a word. _Am I keeping her away from someone she _really_ loves?_

Before everything, before shutting his eyes, before Maka's great instance of generosity, he had asked her: "Maka... do you trust me?"

**2**

At first she just stood there, her eyes open wide, a look of utter shock and disbelief on her face. Then she ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him a second time, the package falling from his hands. She didn't say a word but Siegfried could hear sobs and felt hot tears against his stomach.

"Hey now, calm down, it's just a book."  
"It's not just the book, you idiot..."  
"Then what is it, then?"  
"It's..." Maka paused, trying to get a hold of her feelings so she could respond. "It's _everything_!"  
"What are you-"  
She looked up suddenly and Siegfried caught his breath, seeing Maka with a look of pain that replaced the shock. Tears were streaming down her face. "Don't try to lie to me, you moron. You saved me, you asked me on this date, then you do something so... so...  
_(Romantic)_  
so thoughtful and caring by telling me how beautiful you think I am and now..."  
In an unconscious imitation of what he did just twenty minutes ago, Siegfried fell to his knees and grabbed her shoulders. "_Stop crying!_" Maka recoiled, instantly filling Siegfried with regret. "I'm sorry. I just... I don't like it when you cry. I know it's the first time but... it's a painful noise. Please don't cry."  
Maka hit Siegfried's head with her book again, but it was a soft tap compared to the last one. She smiled in her tears. "I wasn't crying," she said, quickly wiping tears away with the sleeve of her coat, "I just had something in my eye."  
"Yeah. Gotcha. The wind is pretty fierce, no?"  
"No kidding."

The rest of the date went off without a hitch. They had walked around, shopped, normal date things, even shared an ice cream cone.  
_(Hey Siegfried, let's just share this one!)  
(No, I insist, it's fine...)  
(We're on a date! C'mon!)  
_Siegfried noticed during the rest of the date that Maka was happier and much more cheerful, no surprise after what had happened earlier. The urge to grab her hand suddenly came back like the urge to itch a healing wound. _She looks so happy now... but how does she feel on the inside? This is killing me..._

The two ended the date relaxing on a park bench, enjoying the night. Siegfried, trying his best to control his emotions, looked depressed.

"What's wrong?" Maka asked. Siegfried almost jumped and turned, seeing a look of genuine concern on her face and shook his head.  
"Don't lie to me. You're horrible at that."  
"It's just that... well..."  
"Did you not have a good time?"  
Siegfried smiled and chuckled. "Hell no, I had a _great_ time."  
Maka giggled with him. "Yeah, me too. I haven't had a night like this in forever..."  
"That's... what I want to ask you."  
"Hm?"  
"Maka... do you trust me?"  
Maka looked down, a look of sadness replacing her earlier look of concern. _Of course I do... I always have..._ "After everything you've done for me... I do. I trust you."  
Siegfried smiled then, his eyes seeming to sparkle. Maka almost thought she saw tears of joy in his eyes, which made her smile too. Siegfried opened his mouth to say something to her  
_(I love you, Maka)_  
but closed it and rested his head in his palms. He leaned back on the bench, his eyes closed. "That's great," he said sarcastically. "Now all I have to do is wait a few months so you can get to know me."  
Before Siegfried opened his eyes again, Maka held his left hand in both of hers, making him jump. "Siegfried, you know that's not the case," she said in a sweet tone. "Not only did you prove that I can trust you, you also showed me how much you love me." Siegfried's face went red as Maka squeezed his hand gently. "You want to hold my hand, don't you?"  
"I..."  
"I noticed how you always draw your breath when our arms touch." She scoffed. "I must have put you through hell." Siegfried didn't laugh back. He looked the other way and closed his eyes. Maka's eyes lowered. "Now what?"  
"Maka... do you love Soul?" Maka recoiled again, a blush on her face, no doubt shocked by how quickly he asked the question. Siegfried decided to say more. "I mean, were you hoping that he asked you out before me? Did I just get this date because I asked first?"

Another long pause. _Jeez, what is up with my life and long pauses?_ Maka finally said something.

"It's not about who asked first... if you want the honest-to-goodness truth, then yes. I love Soul. But... not in that way. I care so much about him, we risk our lives for each other, but..."  
"But?"  
"If I wanted Soul to ask me out instead, I would have said 'no' to you. You know that as well as I do. Look at it this way- I've known Soul for years. I've known you for just over a month. But you've shown me how much you loved me, how much you've cared more than anyone else could in that short amount of time."  
Siegfried realized in an instant just how wrong he had been about everything.  
"So it's not about _who_ _asked_ _me first_," Maka continued, "It's about _who_ _loves_ _me more_."  
"Maka, I-"  
"And now I'm starting to think that I owe you for everything you've done."  
Siegfried blushed immediately, knowing _exactly_ what she was getting at. Not thinking he was ready but knowing he was in the back of his mind, he shook his head wildly. "Maka, no, I... you don't owe me anything, it's fine, I just wanted to make you happy, and-"  
Maka placed a gloved finger on his lips. "Let me talk, please." Siegfried nodded. "Let's just start slow, okay?" She let go of Siegfried's hand and began to remove them. She hesitated. "I'm sorry I wore gloves, it was cold out." Siegfried looked away quickly, embarrassed. Maka smiled. She repeated: "Let's start slow..."

**3**

Siegfried watched in awe as Maka slowly slipped off the glove on her right hand, the same hand that shushed him just seconds ago. The delicate movement almost made him die of nervousness. Then her arm went under his and Siegfried started blushing again.

"It's cute, really," Maka commented. "You're always so calm and collective normally... but when I'm around you, you're so nervous. Do I really make you feel that way?"  
"Yeah. I'm a nervous wreck, aren't I?"  
"Yeah you are," Maka responded as she brought her hand closer to his, "but you're _my _nervous wreck." Her fingers delicately slipped into the spaces of his and squeezed gently, sending a flow of lust and kindness throughout Siegfried's body. "Squeeze back, please," She said.  
Siegfried did as he was told, blushing all the while. He decided to keep his mind focused on other things for the time being, like the moon. He found himself thinking about it almost constantly, looking at its smirking face, laughing and laughing. It didn't take long for Siegfried to realize that he was whispering to himself about it as he sat holding hands with Maka.  
"Hm? What was that?"  
"Huh?"  
"You were whispering something."  
"Oh, yeah. I know it's strange, but... I love the moon. Whenever I felt bored or concerned at night in the infirmary, I would always look out the window at the moon. I don't know why exactly, but it always made me feel safe. It would remind me that I'm looking at the moon from somewhere else, somewhere other than my house back in Germany."  
"The moon, it's... kind of creepy..."  
Siegfried chuckled. "Yeah, it really is."

A minute or two passed, and Siegfried couldn't help it. He had to scratch his healing wound and look at her. He turned his head, seeing her look up at that moon, her beautiful green eyes seeming to sparkle in its light, her adorable pigtails slowly nodding in the wind. That was when he realized the true love that he had for this bookish girl, who could go from angry and depressed to cheerful and kind in an instant. He wanted her to cut everything loose, to tell him everything that was troubling her so he could hold and comfort her. To show her how much he cared and-

Maka turned her head, realizing that Siegfried was staring at her. She smiled at him and he smiled back, resisting the urge to spill out his feelings, telling her that he loves her. He decided against it. _If she didn't kiss me, then I don't have to_- Without warning, Maka rested her head on his shoulder. He felt her soft hair touch him and he drew his breath. _Shit_.

"It's okay," Maka said, almost knowing what he was thinking. "I like it when you're nervous. I see a side of you that I don't usually get to see."  
"It's not as cool as spending time with Soul, is it?"  
"Nope. It's much warmer."

Siegfried shut his eyes tight and tried to think of something else.

Nothing worked.

**4**

Siegfried opened his eyes Monday morning and put his arm over them. He thought about how abruptly the date ended on Saturday; they had fallen asleep on that bench for around 45 minutes.  
_(Mmmm...)  
(Maka?)  
(Hm? Oh crap, what time is it?)  
(11pm.)  
(I have an all-day mission the next morning! I gotta get going!)  
(Aw man I forgot... Stein's gonna kill me)  
_Maka had said her goodbyes quickly and quietly and ran off towards the dorms without even a kiss on the cheek. That's what angered Siegfried most of all that Sunday. He wasn't supposed to feel selfish (he wasn't _allowed_ to feel selfish after everything that she did for him) but he couldn't help but be a bit displeased with her after leaving him hanging in such a way. It was on his mind all day Sunday and into Monday morning. He got up slowly, still feeling Maka's head on his shoulder and got dressed. He slipped on his jacket and shuddered, wondering what the day would be like after that stupid date. He ate french toast and eggs (he got free food every morning without having to lift a finger, so that was nice) and kept his eyes shut as he did; when he opened them while biting into an egg, he saw Maka sharing it with him like she did the ice cream cone. _This obsession is killing me_. _I just ate _after_ getting dressed__. I mean, who the hell does that?_ He washed up (which was still awkward because he was already dressed) and opened the door to leave for class, expecting to see Maka's everywhere walking down the halls, saying hello to each other.

He only saw one standing in front of him at the exit.

"Hi!" She said cheerfully.  
"...Hey." Siegfried couldn't help but have a depressed look on his face.  
"Let's go to class! We're late."  
"What? We're fifteen minutes early, we-"

Maka grabbed his hand suddenly and they ran down the hall. Siegfried noticed, just for a second that Maka's hand was a bit wet. He dismissed the thought and asked Maka where they were going.

"I already told you; we're going to class."  
They passed the entrance to the classroom and Siegfried asked her a second time. Maka ignored him and ran towards a storage closet, where she pushed him in. She walked in with him and locked the door and turned around, flipping a switch that turned on a lightbulb  
_(It's only glowing on one side! Fix it, Siegfried!)  
_covered in cobwebs. All of a sudden Siegfried realized everything. He realized why she didn't pry him when she saw the look on his face, why her hand was a bit wet, why she pushed him into the cramped closet. He realized all of this as Maka pushed him into the very back of the supply closet and leaned in, her hands behind her back in that oh so polite manner, her lips puckered, standing on her tip-toes.  
_(We're not ready dear god we're not ready)  
(I owe you for everything you've done)_  
_(Maka...)  
_Siegfried, a hot blush on his face, got around her and ran for the door. He tried the handle and found that it was locked from the inside. _Who the_ _hell_ _makes closets like these?!_

"Nice try, Siegfried. I locked it from the inside," she said, twirling the key ring with her finger. She walked up to him again, slowly this time. "I thought you wanted to kiss me?"  
"I... I don't... I do... _I don't know_!"  
"Yes you do. It's what you've wanted all along, isn't it? That's why you were so depressed when I said hello to you."  
Siegfried looked the other way. "You can read me like a book, can't you?"  
Maka leaned up so their noses were almost touching. "I can, but you need to open up for me."  
Siegfried smiled, agreeing with her. He looked back at her. "My father, he... he wouldn't approve of me kissing you."  
"Hm? Why not?"  
"My family history has always had a rule where we were only allowed to be in love with someone who knew how to wield the Zweihänder."  
Maka grabbed Siegfried's cheeks with her hands, smiling all the while.

_I'm a stitch away  
From making it  
__And a scar away  
From Falling apart, apart..._

"Then let's change history."

She pressed her lips against his for the first time.


	11. Chapter 11: Jaxx T Redwood

**Quick Authors Note:** This will be the last of the short chapters, the chapters coming up will be 3,000-4,000 words long.

* * *

**Recommended Listening Music****:  
**M83 - Midnight City  
Blue Stahli - Rapid Fire

* * *

**CHAPTER 11**

Jaxx T. Redwood

**1**

_(She's holding your cheeks hold her's back)_  
_(No, that'll ruin the moment hold her body)  
(She's wearing her cute little sweater vest I'll go nuts if I touch_ _it__)  
_Siegfried was wracking his brain, thinking of something to do as he felt Maka's soft lips against his. His nervousness was off the charts; every time their arms touched, every time they hugged, when they held hands... nothing could compare to the utter breakdown that he was having on the inside. The claustrophobia inside the dusty little storage closet just made things worse. _Stop being nervous. Just calm yourself. Take a deep breath if you have_-

Maka moaned and nibbled Siegfried's lip._ Die in here. I'm going to die in here. _Siegfried opened his eyes and saw Maka looking back at him, her beautiful green eyes staring, her teeth still on his lip. That's right, friends and neighbors, say goodbye to your good pal Sigfried. For a second he _did_ die as she pulled her head back,  
_(Slip inside the eye of your mind)  
_but was lost somewhere distant,  
_(Don't you know you might find)  
_somewhere unimportant.  
_(A better place to play.)_

He imagined a place where the sky was green  
_(Big and beautiful)_  
and the fields were yellow,  
_(Pigtails nodding in the wind)_  
and she was there, playing him like a cello, her fingers delicately pulling his heart-strings, playing a song of love. His hands moved on his own, his thumbs on her cheeks, his fingers in her hair, and he kissed her. _Just do it_. Siegfried slowly moved his hands to her pigtails and untied them, digging his hands into her blond hair as it spilled down the back of her neck. His fingers tingled, littering his skin with gooseflesh. Siegfried found himself sweating as the kiss finally finished and said:

"Maka... I love you so much..."  
She smiled back at him. "I love you, too." Siegfried found tears beginning to form in his eyes and wiped them furiously with his arm. "What are _you_ crying for, you big hypocrite?"  
"I'm not crying, I've 'just got something in my eye.'"  
"Do you want to get Maka Chopped?"  
"I want to kiss you again."  
"Then do it," she said, standing on her tip-toes again. She groaned. "Ugh, this is killing me. Your height is making this difficult."  
"What do you propose we do about it?" Maka jumped on him suddenly, her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck. Her face was a bright red. "M-Maka-"  
"I don't approve of this at all," she stammered, "so don't expect this to last too long, okay?"  
Siegfried sighed, his voice shaky. "F-fine."  
What Maka said and did next couldn't be dismissed to the farthest corners of Siegfried's mind for the rest of that day, no matter how hard he tried to push it away. Maka brought her body against Siegfried's and whispered in his ear. "Be gentle, alright?"

**2**

Jaxx walked inside the empty bicycle shop, the familiar sound of the bell hooked on the door ringing in his ears. Tommy greeted him at the counter with a wave.

"Hey bro," Jaxx said. "Slow day?"  
"Yeah. The place has been empty for the past three hours. Shouldn't you be at the Academy right now?"  
"I've got some remedial lessons to take care of."  
"And you're here because...?"  
"I'm here because I'm tired of walking everywhere."  
"Dad still isn't letting you use a bicycle unless you buy one?"  
"Pretty much. Clay's been a real asshole lately."  
Tommy sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

A long pause. It was common for the Redwood brothers to have moments of awkward silence. Their father, who was a mechanic and a Meister, died shortly after the boys were born thanks to a heart defect. Tommy, who thought it would be disrespectful to take advantage of what his father never cared for (at least his according to his mother), distanced himself from any sort of Meister training and became a mechanic in his father's footsteps. The boy's early years were painful and full of heartache as they watched their mother go through several failed marriages, each with her husband leaving them with the latest catastrophe he had created (gambling debts, food shortage, etc.). Clay was lucky number 7 for the Redwood family; he was able to dig them up from the hole that the past five men buried them in. Despite all of this, he treated the boys with great disrespect and constantly beat them over the littlest things.

Jaxx was accepted into the DWMA despite Clay's harsh disapproval. Looking back at the first time he met him, Jaxx figured that Siegfried was a lonely soul who did not strive for the attention of his peers; almost as if he had no experience with anyone from the outside world. Jaxx had found Siegfried, alone, reading in the Academy library.

"Sup," he said, pulling out a chair sitting next to him.  
Siegfried looked up from his book. "Hey. You my new partner?"  
"You know it. You lonely?"  
"Nah." He turned his chair towards Jaxx with his hand held out. "Siegfried."  
Jaxx smiled, already sensing a bond with this boy. He shook his head and offered a fist. "Jaxx."  
Siegfried pounded it, grinning.

The two boys got along well; Siegfried would tell stories about his past, which Jaxx was wholly interested in. Jaxx would tell Siegfried about being in the outside world and the many rules that go along with it, to which Siegfried would scoff and tell him that he was an idiot. To put things in simple terms, they both felt sorry for each other. It made perfect sense, one being in a broken home while the other was homeschooled. The pity turned into respect, the respect turning into friendship. Jaxx still remembered walking with Siegfried up the stairs to their first day of classes (oh so close to Siegfried seeing his first love) when Siegfried collapsed, blood flying out of his mouth and onto the floor. He was rushed to the infirmary and Jaxx was told to take classes without him. Now, on his remedial lessons, Jaxx missed Siegfried greatly. Ironically, he wanted Siegfried to be on this trip with him and annoy him with stories of the date that he was on with Maka.

He sighed and walked past his brother and into the back room of the shop.

**3  
**

Siegfried awoke from his nightmare, his sweat sticking his shirt to his chest. He stood up and ran to the bathroom as fast as he could, the residue of the nightmare still fleeting from his consciousness. He knelt in front of the toilet and sighed, relieved that it had only been a false alarm-  
_(Siggy Figgy Wiggy)  
_His eyes bulged and he vomited, his lunch coming out in a single concentration. He wiped fresh tears from his eyes. _Jaxx is gonna kill me when he gets back..._ Siegfried thanked his lucky stars that Jaxx was doing remedial lessons for a week. He asked Stein why Lord Death would send Jaxx on such a strange mission without his Demon Weapon, but even he was puzzled. Siegfried flushed the toilet, washed his hands and plopped back on the couch. He was extremely grateful towards Jaxx for giving him the apartment for the week that he was gone and even more grateful to Stein for allowing him to stay there and-  
_(Let's get naughty...)  
_Siegfried cried out in pain and clenched his stomach. "Son of a _bitch_!" He shut his eyes, relishing the darkness. He took a deep breath and got up, walked towards the windows and smiled at the sunset. _Maka said she'd come and read with me after she picked up some books back at her apartment... try to think about that... _He did, but it didn't help. After all, _she_ was the nightmare.

Siegfried greeted Maka at the door minutes later, books in her arms. He apparently still had a grave look on his face thanks to the nightmare and Maka asked him what was wrong.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a bit sick, as all."  
"Okay. You still want to read?"  
"Of course." He leaned in for a kiss and Maka looked away. "Hm? What's wrong?"  
"It's nothing, I... I just don't think we should..."  
"Uh oh. Don't tell me-"  
"I just think that what we did in the closet was a bit unnecessary."  
"What? But the kiss, it was-"  
"I know, I loved it too, but I think we should take things slow. Remember the date on Saturday?"  
"Yeah..." Siegfried poised his hands to go into his pockets. "You wanted to take things slow, that's why all you did was hold my-" Maka broke his sentence by holding his hands in hers, making him blush.  
"Siegfried... I love you. You know that, don't you?"  
"...I do."  
"And you know that I trust you. That's why I held your hands. I just want to make the kissing a bit... you know..."  
"Uncommon?"  
"Yeah... I'm sorry, Siegfried..."  
Siegfried shook it off and smiled. "It's fine. I can still kiss you _sometimes_, right?"  
Maka narrowed her eyes, a frown on her face. "Don't badger me about this please."  
"Right, right."

**4**

Jaxx poked his head in the back room fifteen minutes later.

"Is it ready yet?"  
"It's been fifteen minutes," Tommy replied angrily. "Motorcycles take longer to make than that."  
"I thought you were a professional."  
"I'm not a professional, I'm a mechanic with a hand that can turn into a blowtorch. Those are two different people, bro."  
"Just hurry up. These lessons are going to be a hell of a lot easier with a ride."  
"Thank God mom's a Demon Weapon, otherwise this would take ten times longer."  
"No kidding."  
"Hey, speaking of which, how's your partner going? Samuel, right?"  
"_Siegfried_. And he's doing fine, dude just got a girlfriend. Too bad he chose the one at the top of her class."  
"A nerd, huh?" He scoffed. "Sucks to be him."  
"Not really. Dude's head-over-heels for her. He's probably making out with her right now in my apartment."  
"Tell me more."  
"Just get back to work."  
"Alright, alright. But seriously, what's with the lessons? Shouldn't you be going with your Demon Weapon?"  
"Normally yes, but I'm doing some research for Lord Death."  
"What kind of research?"  
"I need to head into Italy for it. Something about a Cursed Sword? I don't know."  
"Just keep your guard up. I heard that place is pretty freaky at night."  
"How freaky?"

Tommy remembered the secret that he had kept from his brother for years. He remembered walking alone in Italy at night after doing a few rounds of pool when he ran into... some skinny kid with pink hair and a black sword? He couldn't remember whether or not he could feel the kid's soul, but it definitely felt something sinister come off of him. Did he have some sort of Demon? Tommy just shook his head.

"Just... just be careful, alright?"  
"...Yeah, gotcha."

As Jaxx walked out of the room, Tommy shuddered. He had never been more terrified for his brother in his life.


	12. Chapter 12: The Lonely Soul

**Recommended Listening Music: **Android Lust - Precipice

* * *

**CHAPTER 12**

The Lonely Soul

**1**

The lightning made them both jump; rain wasn't in the forecast that day. Siegfried sighed deeply at the strong, dusty smell of the rain as he got to the climax of his horror story.  
_(His knife slid gracefully through his chest and the blood flowed-)_

"Siegfried, what are you reading?"  
"Hmmm?" He looked up and saw Maka with her head over his book, her eyes narrowed. "Oh, it's just a horror story."  
"Seems kind of bloody..." Maka's sentence trailed off as she noticed Siegfried's flat and uninterested tone. "Siegfried, what is it now?"  
"What?" He said this in an annoyed tone, causing Maka to flinch.  
"Why are you so angry with me all of a sudden?" Siegfried shot her a look then, a look of disgust and annoyance. Maka shut her book in anger. "I didn't come here for you to be annoyed with me. If you don't want me here, I'll just leave."  
She was about to open the door when Siegfried sighed again. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just sort of..." Siegfried remembered the nightmare he had about Maka. _I can't tell her about that... not yet._  
Maka turned around and smiled at him. "You're still sad about me wanting to wait, aren't you?"  
Siegfried looked down. _That's true._ "...Yeah. I thought that you trusted me."  
"You idiot, of _course_ I trust you. Why do you think I held your hands on Saturday and kissed you today?"  
"I just think that we're not close because you won't kiss me. I feel like there's something between us and-"  
Maka sat down next to Siegfried and held his arm. "For the last time, Siegfried. I want to take things slow. You need to understand that what happened on Saturday night was only our first date, I-"  
Siegfried held up his palm. "...Fuck. Alright. I'm sorry for being this way, acting all crazy and wanting to rush things. I'm new to the whole dating thing, you know?"  
"So am I, you were my first date."  
"I know, but you were the first girl I actually got to know who wasn't my mother."  
"...Thanks for understanding, Siegfried."  
"No problem. Can you just do one thing for me?"  
"Sure."  
"Can I have... just one more kiss? Please? I know what you said, but I'd like to have one more before we start to take things slow."  
Maka, full of anger but also love for Siegfried's request, smiled. "Close your eyes and pucker your lips," she stammered.  
Siegfried did as he was told and waited in excitement for the kiss. _All I have to do is wait for her to press her soft lips against my- _Maka smashed Siegfried's head with her book as hard as she could. _-head is torn to pieces. _Siegfried cried out in pain and rubbed his head.  
"I _told_ you not to badger me about it," Maka said. "Let this be a lesson for you." She leaned in and kissed his lips, sending yet another hot blush onto his face. "Let's get back to reading, okay?"  
Siegfried, blushing in love but crying in pain, emitted a strangled noise in agreement. Maka smiled at him and thought: _My little nervous wreck..._

**2**

"Try not to get in a wreck, alright?" Tommy nagged his brother. "I don't want you coming back here a day later needing repairs."  
Jaxx sat on the bike and revved the engine. "No need," he yelled. "Purrs like a freaking kitten."  
"Yeah, for _now_." He walked over to Jaxx and patted him on the back. "Like I said, be-"  
"Yeah, yeah, be careful." His grip tightened on the handlebars. "Thanks again, bro."  
"Don't worry about it. I made Evans' bike too, after all."  
"Seriously?"  
"Mhm. This one outclasses his, though. I put extra time into her."  
"What kind of 'extra time?'"  
"Well," Tommy said, pointing to a red button with Lord Death's face on it, "if you press that button next to the speedometer, you can get a radar that tracks nearby souls."  
"Really? How in the hell did you make that work?"  
"Soul Perception. I put some of my soul into the bike."  
"How does that work, exactly?"  
"No idea."  
"Wait, you can use Soul Perception _and _you're a Demon Weapon? You'd be a huge asset for the Academy."  
"I know... but dad didn't want to be a student. Neither do I. He was a mechanic, I'm a mechanic."  
"...Yeah... sorry for bringing it up, I just-"  
"It's fine." He took a deep breath. "Look, if the time comes where I have to fight, I'll fight. But I'm not going to be a student. That's final."  
"Sure, okay." Jaxx looked down at the button and chuckled. "Siegfried's going to be driving this thing sometimes. We better change that little radar button to a picture of Maka for him."  
"I'd rather put one on the accelerator." The two laughed together genuinely for what felt like the first time in months.

**3**

Siegfried opened his eyes slowly, relishing the softness that he was feeling on his throbbing head. He drew his breath when he realized that he had fallen asleep with his head on Maka's shoulder, his book dangling from his fingertips. He recoiled and moved away from her, blushing.

"M-Maka! S-sorry, I-"  
"Oh, it's okay if you fell asleep," she said with a smile, "I was sort of enjoying it."  
Siegfried looked away in embarrassment. "I'm... I'm sorry that I'm always so nervous when I'm around you. I mean, we're together, right? Shouldn't I be used to everything that we're doing?"  
"I don't mind, honestly." She kept her eyes on her book as she talked, which Siegfried loved. _She looks so proper..._ "When you get nervous, it reminds me that you..."  
"That I what?"  
"Itʻs hard to explain. When youʻre nervous, you show me how much you love me. Not to mention that it's... kind of cute."  
"Wait, you think I'm cute?"  
Maka closed her book suddenly and looked at Siegfried with a serious look on her face. "Of course I do. I'm your girlfriend, after all."  
Siegfried looked down, his spirits crushed. "Oh. You only think that because you have to..."  
"Siegfried?" He turned his head and Maka gave him a comforting smile. "I love you."  
Siegfried smiled back. "Yeah... you too." He leaned back with his head in his palms as Maka opened her book and started reading again. As Siegfried rested his eyes, he began to remember his first few nights at the Academy, back when he was stuck in the infirmary.

He remembered a harsh feeling of loneliness the third time he opened a book in an empty library. With tears in his eyes, he waited for the rest of the school to pour out and snuck out of the infirmary, walking up the stairs, the loneliness suffocating him like a premature burial. He felt the cold air on the balcony as he looked down and seeing the last few students and teachers walk out, seeing the moon in the night sky and smiling lightly. He pulled out a cello bow from his pocket and sat down on the ledge, his leg turning into a zweihänder with cello strings and F holes. He played a soft, soothing melody into the night sky, his fingers gently holding the strings as his bow played them. Tears stung his eyes, but he let them flow. They were his only audience... as far as he knew.

**4**

The music was able to calm her down, to bring her a sort of peace and understanding for the ghost playing the cello. She sat by the window in the living room with her chin in her palm, transfixed.

"Maka!" Soul called from his room. "Do you hear that? Sounds like music coming from the school."  
"Yeah. I do."  
"Is that the ghost?"  
"No, I don't think so. I mean, I don't think he's a ghost at all. I think... I think he's just human."  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"I think he's just a human who's lost and cant find his way. Maybe he's a lonely soul. I'd like to meet him one day."  
"A lonely Soul, huh?" Soul asked himself later that evening. "If he knew Maka, I doubt he'd be lonely for long."

Maka and Soul weren't the only ones who heard Siegfried play his lonely tune. But for some unexplainable reason, the only people who heard Siegfried play were students and teachers of the Academy. When ordinary people were questioned, they said they didn't hear a thing. Among the people who did hear him was Lord Death. A week before Stein found that Siegfried's soul was stable and he could leave the infirmary for most of the day, Siegfried was called to the Death Room.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Siegfried. Did you hear that lovely music a week ago?"  
"Yeah. I heard something, alright."  
"...You're the ghost, aren't you?"  
"I, uh..."  
"Don't try to deny it. I know you've been sneaking out of the infirmary to play." Siegfried nodded slowly, his head lowered in embarrassment. _Even the Shinigami can read me like a book... _"Now now, don't be so embarrassed," Lord Death continued. "You're playing is quite soothing. I just want you to tell me why. Is it that you're feeling lonely?"  
"...Yeah... that's pretty much it."  
"Siegfried, why don't you sit down and have some tea with me?" As the two sat down, Lord Death apologized. "I'm sorry that you're so lonely here. It's not your fault, after all; your sickness keeps you away from the other children."  
Siegfried took a sip from his tea, feeling better instantly. "It's fine, really. Thanks for the tea, I really appreciate it. I'm feeling better already," he said jokingly.  
Lord Death waved a free hand. "Don't worry about it. You can come have tea with me whenever you're feeling lonely. That sound good?"  
Siegfried smiled warmly and responded: "Yeah, that sounds great!"

**5**

Jaxx brought the blade down, bisecting the rampaging bird as it charged. He sighed deeply. A week had passed and he barely completed his remedial lessons; needless to say no one knew a thing about a "Cursed Sword" in Italy except for a few lowlifes hanging around in an alley, who said they saw "some nutcase with pink hair" wandering around a chapel.

Siegfried turned back into his human form and grabbed the floating soul that replaced the monster and took a small bite out of it. Jaxx looked at him with curiosity.

"Why are you eating it like that?"  
"Eating it like what?"  
"Aren't you supposed to swallow it whole or something?"  
Siegfried shrugged. "I don't think there's a way we're _supposed _to eat it. Besides, I'd rather... take things slow..." His sentence trailed off as he poised to take another bite. He shrugged again and swallowed it whole instead.  
"You still angry about 'taking it slow' with Maka?"  
He quickly licked his fingers. "Not angry, just annoyed. Kind of hurts to think about it, you know?"  
"I'm sure Maka will come around soon. Just keep at it, man."  
Siegfried turned at his partner and grinned. "Yeah, I'll do that. Oh, by the way, Lord Death wanted to us to call him after we've finished, so..."  
"Yeah, yeah. Gimme a sec." He walked over to the door of a nearby shop. He was relieved that it was nighttime and the store was closed; he couldn't imagine having to explain what the hell he was doing talking to a freaking door in the middle of Hungary. He sighed again and placed a finger on the glass door. "42-42-564, whenever you wanna-"  
"Please don't," Siegfried said with his palm on his face. "Just... don't."  
"What's the big deal."  
"It's all just-"  
"Just what, too silly? Jeez man, lighten up."

A flash of light gleamed from the door and interrupted the two. Lord Death popped up in a projection.

"Siegfried! Jaxx! Wassup?"  
"Hey Lord Death," Siegfried said. "We called you like you wanted."  
"Good! And I see that you took care of the Turul you were assigned." He nodded at Siegfried, who continued to lick his fingers.  
"Yup, we clipped its feather's pretty easily," Jaxx responded. "So what's the word?"  
"Well, first of all, are the two of you alone? The information I am about to give is very important and cannot be shared with anyone else."  
"Why not just have us meet you at the Death Room?"  
"You're all the way in Hungary and I have some guests arriving to speak with me in half an hour. Now, Siegfried, this news is mainly for you."  
"Okay."  
"Professor Stein has done some research into your family history and has found something... well... unsettling about your father and the Cyprus family. He has come in contact with an old man named Argyle Speotyto who lives in France. It would be in your best interest to speak with him. I need you and two other students to leave for this mission first thing Friday morning. Understood?"

_No. No, I don't understand_, Siegfried thought. _Something unsettling about my father? About my _family_? What could be so unsettling that Jaxx and I need to head all the way into France for?_ Siegfried decided to not ask questions and accept the mission. As he did, he asked Lord Death who the other two students were.

"Soul and Maka will be accompanying the two of you." Jaxx responded by elbowing Siegfried with a grin. "They have a mission that they need to complete in France as well. As for you, Siegfried, not a word of this to either of them." This struck Siegfried as _very _unsettling. "I know that you and Maka are very close, as thick as thieves, you could say. But it is _very_ important that all of this information remains between the three of us and Stein. Do you understand?"  
"...Yeah. I understand, sir. Jaxx and I will get packing."  
"Excellent! Bye-bye for now!" The projection on the screen door faded.  
"What the hell, man?" Jaxx asked his partner. "Death gives you some really 'unsettling' stuff about your dad and shit and you just sit there and take the mission?"  
"What choice do I have? I barely know a thing about my family other than the fact that they're all good with two-handed swords and they have a bunch of annoying family rules. I want to know as much as I can about my family... and if I was wrong about my father all these years..."  
Jaxx placed a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Alright. Let's do it. Just... don't shit yourself if Maka gets all close to you at France." He started talking in a grueling French accent. "It is ze country of love, no?"

"Yeah... No."


	13. Chapter 13: Out of the Blue

**CHAPTER 13**

Out of the Blue

**1**

Maka stretched as she and Siegfried walked ahead of Jaxx and Soul.

"You never told me that your partner was so competitive," she said to Siegfried.

"He's usually pretty calm." Siegfried responded with a blush on his face from seeing Maka stretch. "It's that brother of his, Tommy. He was the one who built Soul's motorcycle."

"Really?" Maka sounded genuinely interested. "That's interesting. I had no idea that Jaxx's brother was a mechanic."

"He's not just a mechanic, he's a Demon Weapon. Plus he can use Soul Perception."

"What?" Maka said rather loudly. "Him too? Why isn't he-" she stopped talking when Siegfried put a finger to his lips.

"Jaxx doesn't like talking about it. Let's just say their father passed away when they were really young and Tommy wants to follow in his footsteps."

"Oh. That must of been really hard for the two of them..." Maka placed a hand on her heart, remembering what happened between her parents. She smiled and dismissed the thought. "So why are you in France with us? Do you and Jaxx have a mission here too?"

"Well, sort of. There's-  
_(Not a word of this to either of them.)  
_-a doctor here who says that he has some information on my sickness. Stein says that he's pretty knowledgeable and that he can help me out. I'd like to stop coughing blood once every four hours."

"Yeah, I'd like that too." She smiled at him and held his hand. "I love you."  
Siegfried looked into her green eyes and smiled back. "You too."  
"Get a room, why don't you?" Soul called. Maka smashed his head in with her book and Jaxx cried laughing.

**2**

Siegfried knocked on the door three times, his nervousness building. He had no idea what to expect from Argyle Speotyto other than the fact that he was an elderly man who had something to do with the Cyprus family. Regardless, Lord Death recommended a meeting with this man and it sounded interesting. He closed his eyes and blushed.

_(I love you.)_

_As long as she's here, everything's going to go fine, _he thought. The door opened slowly with a creak and Siegfried got his first look at Argyle. He was a rather portly old man wearing what looked to be a bathrobe. He had white tufts of hair coming out of his ears and wore small glasses. His last name was no coincidence; his shortness and weight made him even _look _like an owl. He raised an eyebrow.

"May I help you, boy?" His voice was grizzly and a nice break from the french accents Siegfried had arrived to.  
"Are you Argyle Speotyto?"  
"The one and only!" He said this with a strange glee and chuckled an old man's chuckle to himself, as if remembering his childhood.  
"Um, my name is Siegfried Cyprus and-"  
"_Cyprus_? So this _is_ the boy I've been expecting! Come in, come in!"

Siegfried stepped into the small bungalow and was surprised to see that there was a living room with a bookshelf, table and chairs and a ladder leading to the second floor, which Siegfried guessed was Argyle's bedroom.

"May I pour you some tea, boy?" Asked Argyle.  
"Um, sure thing, that sounds nice."  
"Yes, tea really calms the nerves... you might need your nerves calmed after you hear what I'm about to tell you."  
"What, is Frederick not my father?" He asked jokingly.  
Argyle chuckled his old man's chuckle again. "No no, he's your flesh and blood. The only problem is that you might not want him to be."  
"What?"  
He held out his palm. "Now now, the tea is finished. Let's discuss things at the table, shall we?" He pulled out a chair.

...

Siegfried walked out of the bungalow one hour later, his spirits almost broken, his head down. He ran into Maka waiting for him outside.

"Hey Siegfried, how was it?"  
He looked up at her. "Great. I got some pills that should help the problem with coughing blood." He held out a bag of pills that he got from Professor Stein a few days ago.  
"That's good..." she noticed his tone. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah. I'm fine."  
He expected her to pry like she always did, but all she did was nod. "So... since we're in France and all..." She looked down, blushing and smiling.  
"What's up with you? You're acting strange..."  
She snapped her head back up. "Well, I've been thinking that we should go out for a walk or something. You know, see the sights. I haven't been able to spend some time with you thanks to the missions that I've been assigned."

Siegfried thought about the news that Argyle had given him. He politely declined.

"What? Come on, Siegfried, we need this!"

"We don't."

"Siegfried, what's the matter? You're acting strange."

"I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me. You know you're bad at that."

"It's just... I... I don't think that I'm..."

"That you're what?"

"I don't think that I'm right for you, that's all."

"What are you talking about?"

Siegfried sighed deeply, and looked away. Maka stomped the ground.

"Just what the hell are you saying? We were just fine a minute ago, now you're acting like this?"

"I just-"

"Do you think we should... break up?" Se had a look of hurt on her face. Siegfried looked down and nodded slowly. Maka clenched her fists, opened her mouth to say something and shut it. She turned around, beginning to sob and wiped tears from her eyes with her sleeve.

"I knew it. I knew that this was too good to be true."

"What?"

She turned to Siegfried, her face red. "_I knew that this wouldn't_ _last!_"She started panting. "...I knew I wouldn't be able to hold on to someone like you."

Siegfried's eyes widened at what he heard. He looked away again. "What do you mean?"

"...The thing is... whenever something is bothering me, whenever I'm feeling bad, you're the first one to ask me what's wrong. You're always thinking of me before anyone else. Even before you asked me out..." she wiped tears again. "...You were always so sweet to me."

"I was a blushing, nervous wreck who couldn't even-"

Maka slapped him on the head over and over again with her book. It didn't hurt, but it was annoying. "Stop it. Stop talking like that." Whack! Whack! "You idiot."

"Stop hitting me, it's really annoy-"

"From the first time we met you were the sweetest, kindest boy I ever knew. Sure, I had trust issues, but..." Whack! Whack! "...but I always had a special place in my heart for you. You were jealous of Soul, weren't you?"

Siegfried blushed and nodded, his head starting to ache. Maka smiled a little. "He told me that you asked him if we were together. I chose you over Soul not just because you loved me more, but because you respected me. You showed me more respect than Blackstar and Soul ever could. So please... please think before you-"

He grabbed Maka by her arms and hugged her tight. He felt his eyes sting with tears.

"Maka... I'm so sorry. Things have been rough, and-"

Maka put a gloved finger to his lips, like she did on their first date. "You're right. Do you think... maybe... we should take a little break? Maybe just until we can-"

He kissed her deeply, still holding her by the arms. The book fell from Maka's hand as she brought her arms around his neck.

"Sorry, I know you wanted to take things... slow..." His sentence trailed off as he noticed that Maka was smiling wanly.

"Siegfried... I think I'm ready."

"For what?"

She held his cheeks. "To start kissing you again."

"W-what are y-you-"

"I wanted to take things slow, remember? I'm sorry for that, it must have really broken your heart..."

He held her arms softly and smiled. "You could never break my heart. No matter what you do, I'll always love you."

"Don't be so cheesy," she said sweetly, and kissed him back.

_I... I need to tell her. If I don't, I don't know what's going to happen. I need to stop lying to_ her.

"Maka... I didn't come to France for help with my sickness. I came here for something else, something more important."

"Siegfried, you... you lied to me? You promised that-"

"I know what I said, but Lord Death told me to keep it a secret. After everything that's been going on between us, I can't lie to you anymore."

"...Alright. Why did you come here, then?"

"There's... someone here who had information about my father that I really needed to know. Information about myself."

"Okay then. But why was it so important that you couldn't tell me anything?"

Siegfried closed his eyes.

...

"...Because I have to leave."


End file.
